Flip Side of the Coin
by Scykra
Summary: Ryoma doesn't want to "get a social life" like his dad tells him to. He's fine with being the untouchable tennis prince. But when this... THING starts living with him, he doesn't have much of a choice. "Ryomaryomaryo-!" "Shut. Up. Sayuki." RyomaxOC -Kai
1. Chapter 1

_Yo, Kai here~ So this is one of my older stories that is still in progress. I apologize for the crappy summary, the crackiness, the crappy beginning, and the overall crappiness. It gets better after the first... oh, five chapters or so. Yeah, it's still crappy though. Bear with me people!_

_I do not own Prince of Tennis.  
_

* * *

"Yo, Echizen!" Ryoma turned around to meet his old best friend, Momo-senpai, biking towards him.

"Morning, Momo-senpai," he replied, stifling a yawn. Momo laughed.

"Still sleeping in, eh," he said jokingly, slowing down his bike. "Want a ride?"

"I'll walk..." Ryoma rubbed his eyes. It had been three days since he returned to Japan, and it was the first day of school at Seigaku. Now everybody was off to high school except for Momo and Kaidou-senpai. Ryoma himself was a second year now. He randomly wondered if their tennis team was ever going to be the same.

"Well, that's a new one," Momo answered, genuinely surprised. Momo was happy to be with his little buddy again. He knew that he was feeling lonely ever since Tezuka-buchou and the rest went off for high school. The only companion of his was Mamushi, AKA Kaidou, and he wasn't good for conversation. But at least they got along better now.

"Oi, Ryoma-kun!" Ryoma froze at the sound of his name. Momo blinked and turned back. He had never heard the voice before, but it said Ryoma's name so familiarly.

"Sheesh, don't leave without me!" A girl with pitch black hair tied up in a pony tail suddenly appeared beside the two. She was on roller skates. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were different colors. Momo noticed that her right eye matched Ryoma's eye color and her left eye was the color of Eiji-senpai's. _How bizarre, _he thought.

"Gonna introduce me, Echizen?" he asked, half-teasingly. Ryoma let out a small sigh and took the girl aside, giving Momo a look that very clearly said, "Go away." Momo snickered and biked onwards towards the school, returning a glance that said, "I'll bother you later."

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma said, nearly hissing. The girl shrugged with an easy-going smile on her face.

"I thought it'd be nice if I visited your school," she said. "It was Nanjirou-san's idea," she added on as an afterthought.

_Of course, _he thought, gritting his teeth. _Everything is his idea. That irresponsible..._

"Aren't you going be late?" Sayuki asked suddenly, checking her watch.

"Dammit, today is not a good day," Ryoma muttered as he ran off. Sayuki grinned and skated after him.

* * *

"Wah, Echizen, aren't you usually calm?" Momo said with a nervous look on his face. He had never seen the kid so agitated or annoyed. Or pissed off.

"Yeah, until my idiot of a dad made one of his stupid decisions again!" Ryoma nearly spat out the words, his teeth clenched together like it was all he could to from punching something.

"Wasn't it his decision to send you here? And to teach you to play tennis?" Momo said pointedly, trying to calm down his friend. He had no idea what had happened, but the Echizen he knew did not go around calling people idiots. Or looking like he wanted to punch things.

"Gah, I give up!" Ryoma said with an exasperated sigh. "It's too tiring trying to keep up with all of my dad's little whims." Relieved that Ryoma seemed to have calmed down a bit, Momo could only wonder what had made him so angry in the first place.

"Eh... So what happened?" he asked tentatively. Ryoma shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Then the usual arrogant smirk appeared.

"Nope, I'm not going to tell you," he said. "I'm going to make you suffer in ignorance." With that elegant parting comment, Ryoma stood up and walked away with his now-empty lunch box.

"E-chi-zen!" Momo shouted. Ryoma merely waved his hand without turning back, making Momo even more annoyed. Momo took deep breaths and a grin appeared on his face. He was going to bother Ryoma until he got a straight answer.

* * *

Later after school at the boys' tennis team, Ryoma was feeling the burn.

"Who is she? What got you so angry? Why did your personality change so much?" It was like Momo had a never-ending stream of questions.

"He just come back from America and you already start bothering him," said a gruff voice. "As expected of you." Kaidou was wearing a red headband, contrary to his usual green one. The green one was being washed, so he had no choice.

"Mamushi, don't slack off on your captain's duties," Momo said teasingly. He spied some second years standing around talking. He recognized them as Horio, Kachirou, and Katsuo, Ryoma's former classmates.

"Hey, you three!" he shouted, immediately going to boss-mode. "Quit slacking off!"

"You're not even the captain..." Horio muttered. Kadiou was suddenly towering over them.

"Do you want to run ten laps?" he asked menacingly. The trio meeped and ran off.

Meanwhile, Ryoma was nervously glancing around him, making sure that Sayuki was nowhere nearby. He nearly jumped when Momo came behind him and asked, "Looking for your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Horio was suddenly very interested in Ryoma's business. Ryoma shot Momo a black glare and stalked off the courts.

"Where are you going Echizen?" Kaidou asked. "You just got here and you haven't done anything."

"Bathroom," Ryoma muttered. He turned to the left, but remembered that the bathrooms were to the right. He made an abrupt turn and crashed into someone.

"Wah, Ochibi! It's been forever!" Ryoma grimaced inwardly as he rubbed his face. That voice could only mean...

"Eiji, be more careful," Oishi said. "Are you alright, Ryoma?"

"Fine," he said, trying to get past.

"Echizen, how have you been doing?" Ryoma looked up at Fuji.

"Great, now I need to go to the bathroom," he said hurriedly. He ran past Fuji to where he knew the bathrooms were. If Eiji, Oishi, and Fuji were here, that meant that Taka, Inui, and Tezuka-buchou were around too. But where? If possible, he had to escape them until he found Sayuki. Momo was certain to tell them of their meeting this morning...

"Ah, Ryoma-kun!" He looked up. Sayuki was grinning and waving. He put a finger to his lips, trying to get her to be quiet.

"Get over here and be quiet!" he said quickly. Taking her wrist, he dragged her to the grove of trees nearby the tennis courts.

"Your school is so big, I thought I was lost," Sayuki said as Ryoma dropped her wrist.

"Don't _you _have school?" Ryoma asked. Sayuki shook her head.

"Home schooled," she said simply. "I'd join the girls' tennis team if I could find it though."

"It'd be boring for you," Ryoma said quietly. Quickly he changed the subject. "I'm going to have to introduce you to my senpai. Be good and don't say anything until I let you."

"Do I get a signal or do I have to ask verbal permission?" she asked sarcastically. Ryoma had to remind himself that she was the same person she had been a minute ago. He could never get used to her split personality. It seemed that her two personalities were as different as the colors of her eyes.

"I'll give you the OK glance," he replied. "Come on." He took her hand again and walked out onto the courts where the former regulars had already gathered, along with Momo and Kaidou.

"Ochibi's back from the bathroom!" Eiji announced.

"And he has a girl with him," Oishi added. His tone was amazed, as though he thought that whatever he heard Momo say was false. Apparently, it was not so.

"Interesting data," Inui mumbled, scribbling in his notebook and adjusting his glasses.

"Echizen, you have a _girlfriend_?" Taka asked ever-so-innocently. Momo gave Kaidou an exasperated look, as though he had already explained this many times over. Kaidou didn't even look at Momo. He was watching Ryoma with a disbelieving and confused look on his face. Fuji laughed, carefree.

"We would like an explanation, Echizen," Tezuka stated clearly, all business as usual. Ryoma gave a small sigh and sat down on a bench.

"Long story," he said.

"We have time."

"Long enough to take up all of practice." Ryoma gave a hopeful look at Tezuka, hoping that Tezuka's duty to practicing tennis would win out over his curiosity.

"After practice then," he said. "Eiji's treat. And bring the girl too."

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse," Ryoma said with a grin. "Hope you had a big allowance this month."

"Tezuka, that's not fair!" Eiji whined. "You have no idea how much these guys eat!"

"I know exactly how much they eat," Tezuka said. "That's why it's your treat, not mine."

Sayuki smiled. She knew she was going to like these guys.

* * *

_Oh my, look at all the crappiness! Short choppy sentences with no description whatsoever... Yeah, this is what happens when you let 6th graders who fail at writing write fanfics..._

_More chapters to come, and I hope they get better. Thanks for taking time to read this crappiness... I need a word better than crap.  
_

_Review? Any advice to improve my epic crappiness?_

_~Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	2. Chapter 2

OMG THIS IS SOOOOOOO ANNOYING, KAI! . - Ryuu

_Sry Ryuu! ' I know the spacing and stuff is annoying... =p I'm just too lazy. And my chapter's are kinda long, ik, but they get even longer._

* * *

**Chapter 2  
**

After practice, the entire team met in Momo's favorite burger shop. Eiji was being depressed in a corner with Oishi sweat dropping and trying to console him. Tezuka had his arms folded as everyone listened intently. Sayuki sipped at her Coke and Ryoma began his story.

"So when I was in America, I had lots of tennis tournaments. One morning I accidentally overslept and I was late to the match, which would have gotten me disqualified. When I got there, though, I found out that I wasn't disqualified because I apparently already played the match..."

* * *

Ryoma ran down the corridor, dreading that every second someone would come and say that was no longer allowed to play.

_"Victory to Echizen Ryoma!"_ announced the loudspeaker. Ryoma stopped in his tracks.

"Eh?" _How is that possible?_he thought. _I just got here! In any case, I'll have to find my dad..._He ran off again, with a different reason.

_How long is this damn hallway?_he thought, exasperated.

"Oof!" Ryoma crashed into someone walking the opposite direction. The person brushed himself off and offered a hand. "Sorry, you OK? I wasn't watching where I was going." Ryoma ignored the hand and picked himself up.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly as he walked past. The person cocked an eyebrow and let their hand drop. As he was passing, Ryoma took a glance at the person's face and nearly tripped.

He was looking at a mirror image of himself.

"Oh yeah, I should probably explain, huh," the person realized. Now that Ryoma listened, even the voice was the same. He hadn't noticed before since he wasn't familiar with how he sounded to other people.

"Geh, no time!" the person muttered. "Run along, I'll explain later. Your second match is about to start." The person turned abruptly and ran.

_Weird,_Ryoma thought. _But I really do have to go... I guess I'll just be satisfied later._

_

* * *

_

Five minutes later, Ryoma was walking out the same hallway listening to the loudspeaker announce his "second victory". The match had been pathetically easy. With all no-touch and return aces, Ryoma had won within three minutes. _Right handed._Ryoma sighed. He would have to ask his dad to let him go back to Japan. America was getting way too easy... and boring.

_These matches are so easy, I hope I haven't been decreasing in my skill level... It'd be nice to have a friendly match with Momo-senpai or someone._

"Found ya!" Ryoma snapped out of his thoughts, hearing his dad's voice.

"We've been in America for a while," he said, grinning. He was smoking, as usual, and wearing his monk's clothing. "Sick of it yet?"

"..." Ryoma made no response. He just made a disgusted face at his dad and walked off.

"Looking for the mystery you?" his dad asked suddenly. Ryoma whirled around. Nanjirou dug his pinky into his ear.

"Last I heard... er, saw," he continued, "that guy had gone back to Japan."

"What? Wait... _back?_"

"Yeah, that person came from Japan too. Apparently from the same city too."

"Huh. Looks like I'll be meeting him sometime anyways," Ryoma muttered.

"Pretty soon because we're going back to Japan tomorrow," Nanjirou said nonchalantly with a grin on his face.

"Yeah... What?"

"We. Are. Going. Back. To. Japan. Tomorrow," Nanjirou said clearly, enunciating every word. "So if you're done with at least two matches, then let's go." Nanjirou dragged his son away.

* * *

The next day, Ryoma was looking out the window of the airplane, insanely bored. His dad was sitting next to him, whistling, looking at a porn magazine. As usual.

Ryoma pulled down the shade of the window. It was too monotonous being awake. He'd just have to try to fall asleep...

* * *

"Ah, it's been so long!" Nanjirou said with a sigh of happiness. He and Ryoma stood before the temple, where they would be living in again.

"Uncle's back!" Nanako came bursting out the door with a smile. Nanjirou waved and Ryoma pulled his cap lower. He felt no need to respond.

"Ryoma, welcome back," his mother said, following Nanako. She gave Ryoma a small hug and asked, "How was America?"

"Boring after the Nationals," Ryoma said truthfully. She laughed and patted him on the head.

"I'm proud of you," she said simply.

"Where's the other one?" Nanjirou asked. Ryoma cocked his head, confused. Last he remembered, there had been no one else living with them.

"Ah, Sayuki-chan?" Rinko asked. "Well, she just got here a couple hours before you two, so I would imagine that she's still getting her room ready."

"Wait, who?" Ryoma asked, annoyed by the enigmatic way they were talking.

"Sayuki-chan," Rinko stated, surprised at her son's confusion. "Didn't you meet her in America? She said she met you before a match yesterday."

"I didn't meet any..." Ryoma trailed off. That mirror image of himself. Had that been a _girl? _

"Sayu-chan!" Nanako called, running back inside. "Ryoma and Nanjirou have returned! Come and greet them!"

"Coming!" said a girl's voice. Ryoma was relieved. His mother must be mistaken. The voices were entirely different.

"Yo, Ryoma-kun!" A girl popped out of the house, and with a single leap jumped past all the steps and landed next to Ryoma.

"Oof, that was dangerous," she said, smiling. "Nanjirou-san, welcome back to your home!" Nanjirou smiled and patted her on the head.

"Who...?" Ryoma asked, turning towards her.

"Me?" the girl asked, pointing to herself. "I'm Saiki Sayuki. Feel free to call me by my first name."

"But why-"

"Why am I here?" she finished. "Um... To make a long story short, I was born in Japan, moved to America with my parents where they died in a car accident. I was bounced back and forth between relatives, and your dad decided to let me live here."

"What about school and stuff?"

"No worries about that," Sayuki said ecstatically. Just then, a fluffy black-and-white cat came walking out, wondering what the commotion was about.

"Karupin!" Ryoma said, surprised. The cat meowed and and ran towards Ryoma, rubbing it's head against his leg. With a small smile, Ryoma picked up Karupin and snuggled with it.

"Aw, that's cute," Sayuki said happily. A bit embarrassed and slightly blushing, Ryoma set Karupin down again and walked inside his house.

* * *

"Pa-chin! End of flashback!" Sayuki said suddenly. The team slightly jumped at the sudden interruption. Ryoma gave Sayuki a quick glance and continued.

"It turns out that Sayuki _was_the person who was playing as me during the tournament," Ryoma said. "No one found out, it seems."

"Eh! But how?" Ryoma gave Sayuki a quick nod. She grinned and swiped his hat off his head. Letting her hair down, she carefully stacked most of her hair on her head and put the cap on. With the cap holding her longer hair, the ex-regulars saw that Sayuki's innermost layer of hair was cut exactly like Ryoma's hair. Ryoma sipped his Coke, already knowing what would happen.

The rest of the team never saw it coming.

Sayuki closed her strangely colored eyes, and when she opened them, both of them matched Ryoma's eyes perfectly. The team gasped.

"Mada mada dane if you haven't seen this kind of thing before," Sayuki said in Ryoma's patronizing tone. Even her voice was the same.

In a few seconds, Sayuki had transformed into Ryoma.

"OK, that's just freaky," Momo said after a few seconds of silence. "Both" Ryoumas said nothing and sipped their drinks.

"Cree-py!" Eiji agreed. The real Ryoma gave Sayuki a sideways glance and flicked her forehead, causing the hat to fall off.

"Oi, don't do that, moron," Sayuki said darkly, throwing the hat at him. Ryoma caught it calmly, putting the cap back on. He was slowly getting used to her changing personalities.

That doesn't mean the rest of them were.

"Whoa, that was weird!" Eiji said. "She just went from super happy, to Ryoma, to super mean!" Sayuki rolled her eyes, which were now their usual split colors.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," she muttered.

"Do you know why this happens?" Tezuka asked. Inui had his notebook out, constantly scribbling in it. Sayuki sweat dropped as his glasses glinted like he was somehow going to put this info to use. Like, to use against Ryoma.

"Ask Kuroki-chan," Sayuki said offhandedly, once again in her "happy" personality.

"Kuro... ki? Who's that?"

"Her," Sayuki said grinning, pointing her thumb behind her. The ex-regulars jumped a bit again as they noticed a gloomy looking girl wearing cat ear ornaments suddenly standing behind Sayuki. The girl was holding a weasel of some sort.

"Hello," Kuroki said. The team sweat dropped, including Ryoma, who had never seen the girl. Everything about this girl seemed to be dark and gloomy, even her way of speech.

"And you are...?" Tezuka asked, trailing off.

"Kokoro Kuroki, age 14," she said. Raising the weasel she was carrying, she added, "And this is Kakura the European Pine Marten. Call her Kaku or Kura."

"The Shinigami of the tennis court!" Sayuki said cheerily. "Kuroki, that is!" The team sweat dropped again, bewildered at how the girl could say something so scary and depressing in such a happy tone.

"... And my best friend," Sayuki added with a soft smile. Ryoma cocked his head, wondering how she could look so gentle and... desireable. Ryoma shook his head. Now was not the time to mess with his feelings.

"Well, you shouldn't be talking about me," Kuroki said softly. "You wanted me to explain to this group of barbarians why you were able to copy anyone perfectly, correct?"

"Barbarians!" Momo said angrily. Then as the last words sunk in, he asked quietly, "... Anyone?"

"Mm!" Sayuki said happily. Reaching across the table, she took Fuji's face with both of her hands so that he was forced to make eye contact.

"Come on, open your eyes!" she complained. Confused, yet curious, Fuji obliged and opened his pretty blue eyes.

"That's a nice color," Sayuki complimented. After thirty seconds of eye contact, during which everyone, minus Sayuki, Ryoma, and Kuroki, was completely confused and bewildered, Sayuki let go of Fuji and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they matched Fuji's light blue slanted eyes.

"Mm, it's good to be having fun with everyone!" she said with Fuji's voice and tone. The ex-regulars were surprised all over again.

Changing her eyes back, Sayuki said in a complaining tone, "Come on, you didn't think that I could only change into Ryoma right? That would make me some sort of freaky stalker person!"

"Aren't you?" he muttered. Several seconds later, he was sweat dropping and hunched over holding his hurting stomach as Sayuki was cheerily explaining who Kuroki was.

"Have you guys ever heard of the 'Death God of Tennis'?" she asked. Everyone looked confused except for Inui, Fuji, and Tezuka, who had apparently heard of the name.

"She is the female prodigy of tennis who rarely ever plays the sport," Inui explained. "According to my data, she has played only ten games in her life, and she has won all of them without getting serious. Apparently, all of her opponents were professionals."

"All correct! Congratulations!" Sayuki congratulated Inui. "Except that one part. Kuroki has only played ten _official _matches. She's actually played twelve. The other two were against me. The first time in our childhood, when I kinda blackmailed her into it, and the second time for a bit of fun." Sayuki shuddered at some unknown memory. Kuroki looked slightly guilty and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Sayuki gave a weak smile.

"That strong, huh?" Momo murmured. "Maybe I can play a match against her?"

"Don't!" Sayuki suddenly shouted at the same time Kuroki murmured quietly, "Don't try if you want to escape uninjured..."

"Yee, sorry, sorry!" Momo said. Sayuki took a breath.

"Sorry, it's my fault I snapped out," she muttered. She looked pointedly at Kuroki and began munching on some burgers.

"Yes, yes, the reason her eyes are like this... Well, I shall begin."

* * *

_Le gasp! The cliffhanger! D: I'm so ebil. XP I killed Ryuu w/ this chapter... Sry._

_So yeah... still crappy. Chapters will get longer and better eventually. OOC Ryoma FTW!_

_Reviews? :3_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Yup, Chapter three is up. Ish very short, sorry! The chapters get longer after this I think. Thanks for everyone who's read this story so far and faved and reviewed! If you liked this and you like One Piece, check out my other story, Peace in a Pirate's Heart, and Ryuu's counterpart, Paths to a Dead Heart. If you like 1/2 Prince, definitely check out Ryuu's other story, Kokoro no Yume (Heart's Dream)._

_Enjoy! -Kai  
_

* * *

"Hey, if you guys aren't going to eat, I demand a refund with interest!" Eiji complained. Everyone gave a small smile before digging in.

"The explanation is very simple," Kuroki said, now sitting beside Sayuki. Ryoma was on Sayuki's other side, and he seemed somewhat bored, staring out the window. It was apparent that he had already heard the story.

"Sayuki and I have been childhood friends since our birth," Kuroki explained, "so I was with Sayuki when she visited the doctor.

"She has had this ability since her birth. Her parents... and I, were worried about her since she was always changing, changing. When they took her to the doctor to have her examined, he said that there was nothing wrong with her. It was her eyes... that gave her this ability. She changes because of her eyes. Her eyes do not change because of her ability. She has 20/1 vision, which allows her to see things far too clearly. They are extremely sensitive as well. You notice how her left eye is red and her right eye is a somewhat turquoise-aquamarine color? If you look closely enough, each eye is not one color, but many, many pigments of every color possible. Therefore, when her eyes change color, it is simply one color becoming more prominent than the rest. When this happens, though, her brain is somehow reconfigured... Which causes the change."

"I don't quite get it," Oishi admitted.

"Well, to make a long story short, it's just basically that I have a glitch in my head," Sayuki explained. "All that extra stuff that Kuroki said is confusing and I don't get it either."

"Liar," Ryoma muttered.

"Eh? You say something Echizen?" Taka asked. Ryoma shook his head. Sayuki heard him, though, and she gave him a weird glance. _Was she feeling guilty? Sad? _Ryoma wondered.

"Echizen, you must be feeling lucky now, eh?" Momo teased. "Living with a girl!"

"That's why I was so pissed this morning," Ryoma answered. The suddenly building tension crumbled, and everyone broke into smaller conversations. Sayuki, Kuroki, and Ryoma all sat in silence, pondering different things.

Kuroki was thinking about how she really wanted some candy and was absently stroking Kakura. Sayuki and Ryoma were thinking about slightly more serious topics.

Ryoma wondered how far Sayuki's ability let her read into a person. One can't copy another person without at least having a level of understanding of how that person thinks. Depending on how deeply she read into Ryoma, he wondered if she was already aware of the reason of his change in personality. He remembered someone telling him that a person is the biggest stranger to them self. Who was it that said that?  
Sayuki, on the other hand, was pondering about herself. Kuroki was right. She had had this ability since birth, and was very happy because of it... Except. There's always an except. Except that her life was built on copying the people she saw. Except that the first people she had ever seen were her parents. Except that she didn't know her own self... She had no personality. Her split personality didn't exist. It was just a copy of her mother's and father's personality at the same time. Being the first eyes she had ever seen, and unconsciously copied, these minds were most natural. But they weren't hers. She had no eye color of her own. She was nothing.

She practically didn't even exist.

Since her parents were dead, she also had another reason for keeping their eye colors. She didn't want to forget.

Her life was a contradiction. She wanted to find her own color, but she was scared to. Wanting to remember her parents, wanting to forget the pain of their deaths. Wanting to find something, not wanting to find something.

Wanting to find out what love was, knowing that she was too scared to.

With a sigh, she fell against the chair, letting her hair cover her right eye completely. Ryoma watched her, confused. She was in neither personality, neither happy nor sarcastic.

_Maybe she has three personalities,_he thought sarcastically. Sayuki didn't look too happy though, so he made a swift decision.

"Wanna go home?" he asked quietly. Sayuki looked up with a surprised expression, as though she just realized that he was sitting right next to her.

"Sure," she said just as quietly. They both stood up, surprising the rest.

"Sorry, but if we don't get home by 7:00, Nanjirou-san freaks out," Sayuki said apologetically. "I'll probably come and visit again."

"See you later then!" Eiji said waving. Sayuki waved back and ran after Ryoma, who was already out the door waiting for her.

* * *

_Weell... That was nice. Short chapter, like I said. Still crappy here though..._

_Reviews and criticism?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	4. Chapter 4

*sighs in relief* At least this chappy's short. x3 ~Ryuu

_Yush, it's very short. I think I lied in the Author Notes in the last chapter... They get longer after like.. The next one? IDK for sure._

_This one is seriously super short, and not much happens (I'm not even kidding, this chapter is boring), but enjoy anyways!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

**Chapter 4  
****  
**"Eiji, do you like her?" Oishi asked as they watched Ryoma and Sayuki leave.

"She's a good person!" Eiji agreed, not understanding what his friend was asking. Oishi sighed and mumbled a, "Never mind then."

* * *

"Ah, Mamushi, I was just about to eat that!" Momo complained as Kaidou snatched a burger.

"Phshhuu..." was the only response he got before Kaidou devoured the burger.

"Dang it," Momo muttered as he grabbed another one off Taka's tray.

"Momo, that's mean!" Taka complained. Momo childishly stuck is tongue out.

* * *

"Tezuka, you haven't eaten much," Fuji said.

"I was thinking," came Tezuka's reply.

"You always are," Fuji laughed. "But about what this time?"

"The girl-"

"Sayuki-chan, right?"

"Yes, her. Ryoma said that she played his first match for him and nobody found out. And her ability apparently lets her copy everything about anyone. So I was thinking that she might be a valuable player for the team. But she will also have to find her own style of tennis. And... well, she's a girl. I'm not sure if they'll let her on the team."

Fuji laughed. "Of course you'd be thinking about the team."

* * *

"..." Kuroki and Inui both sat in silence, not talking to anyone. Inui was reading his green notebook, apparently double-checking his notes. Kuroki was playing with Kakura, occasionally murmuring to it. After several minutes, Kuroki stood up saying, "I'm leaving," and left the shop. A few minutes later, Taka took his leave, saying that he had to go help his dad at the sushi shop. One by one the ex-regulars left until it was only Momo left.

"Mm, today was a good day!" he said, satisfied. He took his school bag and tennis racket bag and left. "I ate my weight in burgers and I got to tease Echizen about his new girlfriend! Now wouldn't it be an interesting development if Sayuki-chan started coming to our school!"

Unfortunately for Ryoma, Sayuki _did_, in fact, start going to Seigaku. When he heard this news over the dinner table, he gave a look of pure disgust.  
"I'm skipping dinner today," he said. "I'll be upstairs doing homework."

"Ah, I'm going to skip dinner too," Sayuki said. "We already ate with Ryoma-kun's friends."

"OK then," Rinko said. "Be sure to go to bed early, alright?"

"Sure!" And Sayuki bounced upstairs after Ryoma to her room.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sayuki said, knocking on his door. "Can I borrow your eraser? I can't find mine." The door opened.

"Sorry, I was using it," Ryoma said, opening the door. He dropped the eraser in her open hand. "Why do you need it though? You don't have any homework."

"I'm drawing," Sayuki replied. "Thanks. If you need it, come to my room and ask." Ryoma blinked as she left and closed the door.

_Dammit,_Ryoma thought. _Now I don't have an eraser. Oh well. The only homework I have left is English and it should be easy._

Ryoma was right. The homework _was_easy. At least, it was for him since he only spent five minutes on it. Just as he finished, he hear a meowing outside the door. He opened it to let Karupin in, who immediately found it's favorite cat toy to play with. Ryoma smiled and teased the cat with it. Like this he could _almost_forget that he soon would have to be attending school with Sayuki.

_It's bad enough that she's living with me,_Ryoma thought. _If the rumours start going around, I'm going to kill someone._ He picked up Karupin.

"I'm being silly," he murmured. "I don't really have to worry about what they say about me. And I won't care." _Wonder why I cared in the first place? I never really worried before.  
_  
For the meantime, he decided to visit Sayuki.

"I'm coming in!" Ryoma announced as he opened the door.

"You're supposed to knock ya know," Sayuki said without turning around. She was busy drawing on a sheet of paper.

"Hn," Ryoma said, watching over her shoulder.

"And asking permission is courteous," she added. "But whatever. I was planning to show you later." Ryoma rolled his eyes and asked, "May I?", clearly wanting to pick up the paper.

"Sure, why not," Sayuki laughed. He picked it up and held it higher so he could see it better.

"That's kinda creepy you know," Ryoma said after a few minutes, placing the paper back. "You really will be a stalker if you keep on drawing pictures of me." A few seconds later, he was hunched over his stomach again.

"I'll punch you in the gut again if you call me a stalker one more time," Sayuki said.

"It's still creepy," he muttered, but with a less teasing tone. "It's creepier that they're pictures of me of different ages, from when I was a kid to now."

"Does it look that accurate?" Sayuki asked, surprised. "I just drew what I thought you would've looked like back then. I don't have any pictures or anything. I have one of your dad and mom too."

"Spare me," Ryoma said jokingly. Sayuki held up her fist threateningly.

"Kidding, sheesh," Ryoma amended quickly. "They're actually... very good."

"Do you have a fever or is it going to rain today?" Sayuki asked. "Ryoma-kun praising someone outside of a tennis court? Amazing!" Ryoma rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Do you like drawing?" he asked suddenly.

"I guess. I just do it in my spare time. Which reminds me," Sayuki said. "Did you need something or did you come here to bother me?

"Just to bother you I guess, since I don't know why I came here myself," Ryoma admitted. Sayuki laughed and sat down beside him.

"While you're here, can you tell me a bit about your senpais?" Sayuki asked. "Momo-senpai and the rest."

"Well, you know Momo-senpai pretty well. He's really loud and likes to annoy people. His favorite tennis move, as far as I can tell, is the Dunk Smash. He has some other techniques like the Jack Knife and the Bullet Serve. He's the vice captain or the tennis team and..." Ryoma continued explaining each of his old team mates in detail well into the night, promise to go to bed early forgotten. Some way or another, he was recounting his tennis matches with his friends and with other schools. And in the end, Sayuki and Ryoma were laughing together at some silly memory.

"Oi, oi, how long are you two going to stay up?" Nanjirou asked, rubbing his eye. He was leaning on the door frame. "Don't do anything to Sayuki-chan, alright Ryoma?"

"You're the only one who would," Ryoma said, standing up. "Good night, Dad." He gave Sayuki a glance that said, "Good night... Sayuki."

* * *

_... *yawn* That chapter was boring. Well, reviews/criticism/questions for the story?_

_As always, check out Peace in a Pirate's Heart and Ryuu's counterpart, Paths to a Dead Heart if you liked this and want to read a One Piece fanfic. Don't forget to check out Ryuu's story, Kokoro no Yume, if you like 1/2 Prince.  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Kushishishi~ another semi-short chapter ~ Ryuu

_Hm... Wonder when they start getting longer._

_And here's when the fangirl fun starts!_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

**Chapter 5**  
**  
** "You remember what I told you?" Ryoma was waiting at the door as Sayuki strapped on her roller skates.

"Yeah, yeah," Sayuki said, standing up. "At school, we're complete strangers. If I get too close to you, I'll get attacked by your... fangirls." She wrinkled her nose. "Yeesh. Nothing more annoying than a bunch of over-obsessed girls."

"Believe me, I know," Ryoma grumbled.

"We're leaving!" Sayuki called.

"Have a safe trip!" Rinko replied from the kitchen.

"Hey, Ryoma-kun, you ever thought of getting a younger brother?" Sayuki asked as she skated beside him. Ryoma nearly tripped at the question.

"Uh... No. I'm thirteen. I'm probably not going to get a younger brother _now_," Ryoma said, scratching the back of his head and sweat dropping.

"Where's Momo-senpai?" he asked, looking around.

"Dunno," Sayuki answered, also glancing around.

"Weird. He's usually here..."

"Who's usually here?" Sayuki and Ryoma jumped as Momo came up from behind them.

"Yo!" he said with a grin. Ryoma sighed and Sayuki waved.

"Wanna ride today?" Momo asked. Ryoma shrugged and climbed on the bike.

"Race ya!" Sayuki grinned, dashing ahead.

"No fair! You got a head start!" Momo yelled, pedaling faster. Sayuki stuck her tongue out and skated faster to keep ahead.

* * *

"Today we have a new student," the teacher said. "She just came back to Japan four days ago, so be nice to her. Saiki Sayuki, come in!" The door opened and Sayuki walked in, smiling.

"I'm Saiki Sayuki, and I just came from America. Please take care of me," she finished with a bow. The class began to murmur as classes always do when there's a new student. When it was a guy speaking, more often than not, it was something about Sayuki being cute. These comments greatly agitated Ryoma for some unknown reason. (Kai: *coughcough*becausehelikeshermaybe*coughcough* XD Sorry. Just had to add that. Continue reading!)

"Now where to put you..." the teacher muttered.

"As long as it's not next to a guy, then it's OK," said a voice from behind the teacher. The teacher meeped and jumped up.

"Ah... You're from the high school's class 1-A Kokoro Kuroki, correct?" the teacher said. "What are you doing here?"

"Ditching," she said, unconcerned that she just admitted that she was skipping classes in front of a teacher.

"Kuro!" Sayuki exclaimed ecstatically, bouncing up to hug her. "You came to school too?"

"Of course," Kuroki said, patting her head. "Now go sit down. Your sensei does not look very happy."

"Course... but where do I sit?"

"Hm," the teacher said. "You may sit between Ryuzaki and Echizen. And Kokoro-san, please return to your class!"

"Fine, fine," she grumbled. "See you at lunch, Sayuki." Sayuki waved and went to sit next to Ryoma and Sakuno.

"Nice to meet you," she said happily to Sakuno. She carefully avoided eye contact with Ryoma, trying to associate herself with him as little as possible. "You can call me Sayuki. You are...?"

"Ah, I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno," Sakuno stuttered. "Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

"Saiki! Ryuzaki! Stop talking!"

"Yes, sorry sensei!" Sayuki said. Sakuno blushed and mumbled an apology. She looked at her textbook to find a small piece of paper that said:

Sorry about that. =^^= Can I sit with you at lunch? I hope we can be good friends!  
~Sayuki

When Sayuki was looking, Sakuno jerked her head for a quick nod. Sayuki grinned.

* * *

"Kokoro, where have you been?" Kuroki, meanwhile, was being forced to listen to her pissed off teacher's shouts.

"This school is too big," she said calmly. "I got lost and wandered into class 2-A of Seigaku."

"How did you get in Seigaku!" the teacher demanded. "That's not even in the right school!" Tezuka was sorely tempted to plug his ears to block out the noise, but he resisted. Oishi, sitting next to him, was wincing as every shout bashed their eardrums.

"Ah-ah, sensei, you're so loud," Kuroki said, covering her right ear with her hand. "Can we start the lesson already?"

"We already started! Take a seat!" the teacher shouted. Kuroki rolled her eyes and sat down on the other side of Tezuka.

"And so you do this problem like this... Kokoro! Answer the next question!"

"Eh? This is so easy!" Kuroki walked up to the blackboard and explained what she was doing as she wrote it.

12-x^2 -2xy = 0  
12-y^2 - 2xy = 0  
subtract 2nd Eqn from the 1st to get  
-x^2+y^2=0 so x=+/-y,

go back to the 1st eqn & complete the square to get  
(x+y)^2 - y^2 = 12

substitute x=+/-y in the above to get  
(+/-y+y)^2 - y^2 = 12  
simplify  
4y^2 - y^2 = 12 or 0 - y^2 = 12  
so  
y^2 = 4 or (no solution)  
hence  
y=+/-2 and x=+/-y= so x=y=+/-2 (the solutions are x=y=2 and x=y=-2)

Kuroki yawned and returned to her seat. The teacher froze, before stuttering, "A-ah, yes, well done. Next, Tezuka."

"Yes." Tezuka stood up and walked towards the blackboard, Kuroki watching him all the while. _Hn... So serious. Seems to be the perfect kind of guy who never makes a mistake with all the girls chasing him like crazy but is actually cold as ice. Not a very interesting person... _Kuroki yawned again.

* * *

"Sakuno!" Tomo came running into her classroom.

"You're so lucky to be in the same class as Ryoma-sama this year!" Tomo whined. "I wanted to be in the same class too!"

"Tomo, do you mind if two new people come and eat with us today?" Sakuno asked, blushing at the topic of Ryoma.

"Eh?" Tomo asked, wiping a tear. "Sure, why not."

"Thanks then!" Sayuki called from the doorway. Behind her was Kuroki, rubbing her eye sleepily. Sayuki plopped herself down next to Sakuno.

"I'm Saiki Sayuki," she said happily to Tomo. "Feel free to call me Sayuki. And my friend here, who's in high school, is Kokoro Kuroki."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Kuroki said, dipping her head. She took a seat between Tomo and Sayuki.

"Itadakimasu," the four of them said together. They dug into their lunches. Sakuno and Tomo laughed with their two new friends, who were very happy too.

* * *

"Oi, Saiki, can I borrow your eraser?" Ryoma asked.

"Eh? Sure," Sayuki answered absentmindedly. She dropped the eraser into his open palm. She was busy sketching something again.

"Ne, Sayuki-chan, what are you drawing?" Sakuno asked, looking over her shoulder. Sayuki stifled a yawn.

"The regulars of Seigaku tennis team last year," she mumbled. Ryoma watched her from the corner of his eye cautiously, making sure she didn't say anything wrong.

"You like tennis?" Sakuno asked ecstatically. "Do you want to come with me to the girl's tennis club?"

"Really?" Sayuki asked. "I was planning to go myself but I was afraid that I'd get lost. Of course I'll go with you. Lemme finish this last picture though."

"Who's it of?"

"Tezuka-buchou. He's so serious that it's hard to draw," Sayuki laughed. Sakuno smiled. She was beginning to really like Sayuki. She was already aware of her split personalities because Sayuki had explained them during lunch. But her meaner side never appeared very much and Sakuno had yet to see it. Besides, when she was normal, she was really nice.

"Can I look at some of your pictures?" Sakuno asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Sayuki replied, sketching the last face of Tezuka. All the pictures were drawn in the same format; head to shoulders only, from age five to the present.

"Wah, they're all so good," Sakuno said, amazed, flipping through the pictures. "You're really good at drawing!" Sayuki smiled and mumbled a thanks.

"OK, I'm done with Tezuka now," she said happily. "Lemme put them away and we can go." Sayuki took the pile of papers and stuffed them in her bag. Ryoma watched her from the corner of his eye as she left. Then he blinked, remembering something.

"I forgot to give her back her eraser."

* * *

"Ne, Kuroki, where's Kakura?" Sayuki asked as they followed Sakuno to the girls' tennis courts.

"Wouldn't let me bring her to school," Kuroki muttered. The bushes rustled and out came a cat.

"Karu-!" She clamped her hand over her mouth. She wasn't supposed to know that Ryoma had a cat named Karupin.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Sakuno asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Sayuki said. Kuroki understood the problem and decided to bail Sayuki out.

"Need to go to the bathroom," Kuroki said, turning around. "I'll meet you guys later." _Thank you Kuroki,_Sayuki thought with a sigh of relief.  
"Come on! It's right over here!" Sakuno called. Sayuki ran up to see what she pretty much expected to see after she heard Ryoma say, "It'd be boring for you."

It _was_ boring.

* * *

"Yo, Echizen, where's Sayu-chan today?" Momo called almost jokingly as Ryoma walked through the gates.

"What's with the 'Sayu-chan'," he muttered. "She's at the girls' tennis courts." Momo blinked.

"Scaary, Echizen actually answered my question," he shuddered.

"If you weren't expecting an answer, then why ask?" Ryoma grumbled as he walked off to warm-up.

"Are you... sulking?" Momo laughed. Ryoma rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer. He stuck his arms in his regular jacket and shoved his hands in his pockets, tennis racket under his arm.

"Friendly match, Momo-fukubuchou?" Ryoma said mockingly. Momo grinned.

"There's the Echizen I know!" he said, pumping up his arm. "Get ready! I hope you haven't been slacking off!"

"That's my line," Ryoma countered. He took his position on the court, getting ready to serve. He bounced the ball twice and tossed it in the air with his left hand.

"Twist serve!" Horio yelled enthusiastically as usual. Momo shifted his position as he prepared to receive it.

"That move is old, Echizen!" he shouted. Ryoma switched the racket to his left hand.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Kaidou blinked as he saw Sayuki holding out a note to him.

"A note from the girls' tennis team's captain," she explained. He blinked again and took the note, unfolding it. The handwriting was shaky as if the writer had gone through an extremely tiring or seen a frightening ordeal. The note said the following:

To the captain of the boys' tennis team:

Saiki Sayuki is a very talented tennis player. As you know, the girls' tennis team does not play very seriously. When she came today, her skill has devastated us. Such talent would be wasted on our courts, and as such we ask you to take this child into the boys' tennis team. We know it is not possible for a girl to become a regular for the boys' team, though she certainly is capable of it. All we ask is that you allow Saiki Sayuki into your team. If this is not possible, then we shall search elsewhere.

Girls' tennis team.

* * *

"Come here you little cat," Kuroki grumbled, trying to coax Karupin to come with her. After carefully sniffing her hand, Karupin decided to come along, having smelled Ryoma and Sayuki's scent. Karupin meowed and promptly fell asleep in Kuroki's arms. Kuroki twitched, trying not to lose her temper.

"Kakura!" she called. The weasel leaped from the bushes. Kuroki set down the cat and carefully instructed the weasel to take the cat to Sayuki's home. Kakura gave a slight nod and woke the cat up, speaking to it softly. After a few exchanged "words", the weasel led the cat home.

"Well that's done," Kuroki said. "Now to find Sayuki."

* * *

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai," Ryoma said, holding his knees, panting. He smirked and wiped the sweat off his chin. "I win."

"Ah, dang it," Momo laughed. "I guess I lost again then. And I really wanted to beat that smirk off your face." He blinked as he noticed Kaidou standing with Sayuki, reading a note.

"Oi, I thought Sayu-chan was at the girls' tennis club?" he asked. Ryoma was watching them too.

"Told her that she'd be bored," Ryoma muttered, walking towards his water bottle. After a few gulps, he headed towards where Sayuki and Kaidou were standing. Momo drained his bottle and followed Ryoma.

* * *

Yush, Kuroki can talk to weasels. x3...you know...we should have named her weasel Itachi... ~Ryuu

_You're the one who wanted to name it Kakura... Don't blame me. -.-'_

_And boredom kills. Don't fall victim to it._

_Reviews/criticism/questions?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_Heeey~ That wasn't actually so bad. I uploaded this chapter all by myself cause Ryuu had to study for a test. I'm so proud of myself! :3_

_Yes, yes. This chapter has some humor, and it's pretty short. I can't remember when they start getting longer... Oh well._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"Yo, Mamushi! Whatcha reading?" Momo asked, resting his elbow on Kaidou's shoulder. "A love letter?" Ryoma "accidentally" stepped on Momo's foot as he walked by. Momo muttered while sweat dropping and holding his foot.

"Really, what's the note about?" Sayuki asked. Ryoma, Momo, and Kaidou blinked in unison.

"You mean you don't know?" Kaidou asked. "Didn't you bring it?"

"Well, yeah, but they never told me what was in it," Sayuki replied.

"It says... How do I put this," Kaidou grunted. "You explain," he said gruffly, forcing the note into Ryoma's hands. Ryoma blinked and skimmed the note, Momo reading over his shoulder with his eyebrow cocked. And then they froze.

"Ah, mou, if no one's going to tell me, then I'll read it myself," Sayuki complained, reaching for the note. Ryoma unfroze and raised the note high, pushing her away.

"Congrats!" Momo said happily, ruffling her hair.

"OI! SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE DAMN NOTE SAYS!" Sayuki shouted. Ryoma plugged his ears, still holding the note, leaning away from her.

"You're a member of the boys' tennis team!" Momo said.

"Not officially though," Kaidou said. "We'll have to test you."

"'Course! I'd be... happy... to..." She trailed off, her head drooping.

"Oi, you OK?" Momo asked. She fell forward, her head hitting Ryoma's shoulder. Shocked, and somewhat embarrassed, he took her shoulders and gently shook her.

"Sorry, did I fall asleep?" she asked drowsily, stretching. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Should've went to bed early last night."

"Did you do anything to her?" Momo asked teasingly. Ryoma ignored his senpai.

"You should go home and get some sleep," Ryoma said.

"Nah, I'll just probably fall asleep halfway," she mumbled in reply. Ryoma sighed. He gave Momo a pitiful look asking for help.

"Hey, don't give me those eyes!" Momo said, sweat dropping. "Just go home with her."

"I'll excuse you early today, Echizen," Kaidou said. "I have some things to think about too." He wandered off, reading the note.

"While our captain does that, I'll go make sure that no one's slacking off," Momo said. "Don't do anything to Sayu-chan, kay Echizen? Be a good boy now."

"What the heck?" Ryoma muttered. "Come on, let's go," he said, turning around. He blinked.

"Sayuki? Where'd you..." His foot bumped into something. Looking down, he saw that is was Sayuki, sleeping soundly.

"Ah, mou... now what?"

* * *

We now journey back to Kuroki, who by now was thoroughly lost.

"Eh... didn't I see this tree just now?" she mumbled, touching the bark of a tree. "Oh well. I'll get out of this school eventually."

* * *

"I really don't want to... But I guess there's no choice," Ryoma muttered after many failed attempts of waking Sayuki up. He slid her arms around his neck and heaved her onto his back, holding her legs. He let out a small sigh and began going home.

_Dang it, I'll have to leave all my stuff here, _he thought. _I'll have to come back and get everything._

"Ah, it's Ryou-Ryou," Kuroki said, walking out from a grove of trees. She saw what he was doing and snickered.

"Who's Ryou-Ryou," Ryoma muttered. "While you're standing here laughing, you might as well make yourself useful and take my and hers stuff home," he said, nodding his head towards Sayuki.

"What, you have the guts to carry her home but not to call her by her name?" Kuroki asked, laughing a bit. "Sure, I'll get the stuff home. I'd rather not leave her to you, but I'm not strong enough to carry her. So I'll settle with helping ya a bit." She looked around and sighed. "I'll catch up in a bit. I need to go get Sayuki's stuff." With that, she turned and dashed away.

"Does she even know where the lockers are?" he wondered aloud, sweat dropping. He looked away, continuing on to his home. This time around, however, he was interrupted by Sakuno.

"Ah-ano-what-" she stuttered, blushing and looking down. Why was he carrying Sayuki?

"Ah, Ryuzaki." _Damn, she saw me. Now I wonder what'll happen. _"I came to return her eraser to her," Ryoma said quickly, thinking of an excuse. "Some senpais asked me to take her home cause she apparently fell asleep."

"I just saw her at the boys' tennis courts," Sakuno mumbled.

"Yeah, apparently the girls' tennis team captain sent her over with a note," Ryoma replied, deciding to tell part of the truth. "Dunno what it says."

"Her tennis..." Sakuno's eyes darted nervously back and forth. "It's like she didn't even have to try..." She trailed off, realizing that Ryoma probably didn't understand what she was saying. "Ano, I'm just babbling. You should hurry and take her home," she said quickly, turning and running away.

_What the heck? _Ryoma thought, finally getting past the school gates, ignoring everyone staring at him. _Why is it that I'm interrupted every five minutes? And what was with Ryuzaki's face? Is it _that _weird? _He stifled a yawn. _Oh great, now the fatigue's getting to me too. I need to hurry..._

"Eh? Ochibi? Izzat you?" Ryoma groaned inwardly. Another interruption, and by one of the most annoying people.

"Hey Eiji-semapi," he said. Eiji snickered like Kuroki had a few minutes before.

"Oh... I guess you're busy?" Oishi asked from behind Eiji. He had an uncertain look on his face.

"Yes I'm busy," Ryoma said, stifling another yawn. "I have to hurry up and get home before I drop down sleeping like her." He nodded towards Sayuki again and walked away, faster this time.

_Wonder if I'll make it... _He yawned.

* * *

"Finally..." Ryoma groaned as he trudged to his home. He dragged his feet up the stairs, into his home, upstairs, and into his room, where he dropped Sayuki and himself onto his bed. He turned to look at her sleeping face and reached out to stroke it, but caught himself before he did. He sat up, trying to clear his head.

"Not thinking straight," he mumbled incoherently. "Too... tired..." He slumped down on the bed again and fell asleep.

* * *

Ryoma shaded his eyes as he blinked. _Where am I_? _Why is Sayuki... _He bolted upright, remembering that he had fallen asleep with Sayuki next to him.

"Ugh, so tired..." he mumbled, holding his head. He shook his head to clear it. _Need more sleep... The least I can do is get Sayuki back into her own room. _He glanced at the window, which the sun was shining through brightly. _So that's what woke me up... It's so bright in here. _The shadows shifted, and a ray of light shone across Sayuki's face. She stirred slightly, slowly coming awake.

"Sh... Sleep a little longer," Ryoma murmured, slipping his arms under her head and knees. Carrying her princess-style, he slowly made his way to her room so as not to wake her. He nudged the door open with his toe and walked in, setting Sayuki down on her bed.

"Sheesh, I'm still in my school uniform," Ryoma muttered. He left the room, giving her one backwards glance before leaving for his own room.

* * *

"Ne, Ryoma-kun, how long was I asleep?" Sayuki asked, walking into his room, rubbing her eye. Ryoma jumped in his seat, surprised.

"Ah... three hours maybe?" he said, turning towards her. He counted up the time. "Yeah. Three hours, give or take thirty minutes. Do you need help with your homework?"

"Eh? Oh that? I already finished that stuff in class..." Sayuki trailed off, yawning. "Sorry about falling asleep. How much trouble did I get you?"

"Mm... Kaidou-senpai and Momo-senpai made me carry you home, I had to ask Kuroki-san to bring home our stuff, Ryuzaki left with a really awkward conversation, and I collapsed with exhaustion when I got home."

"Wow... Sorry." Ryoma yawned and went back to working.

"Do _you _need help with your homework?" Sayuki asked half-jokingly. Ryoma rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Aw, don't give me the cold shoulder!" Sayuki complained. Ryoma sighed. It was too easy to do what Sayuki wanted.

"I'm busy, come bother me in half an hour." Sayuki grinned at the indirect invitation.

* * *

"Morning Ryoma-kun!" Sayuki said cheerfully as they both left their rooms.

"Yeah, morning..." Ryoma said groggily.

"You sure are bad at waking up in the mornings, huh," Sayuki commented.

"Look who's talking. You're the grumpiest one I've ever met in the morning when you're your other self."

"Yeah, well, let's not get to the details. Rinko-san, what're we having for breakfast?"

"American style!" Rinko said, serving eggs and bacon.

"We're in Japan, at least serve Japanese food," Ryoma complained. "I would've stayed in America if I had wanted to eat American food."

"Hey, food is food, now eat," Nanjirou said, smoking another cigar.

"Should I go visit the tennis club after school today?" Sayuki asked, chugging down her orange juice. "I'm done, gochisousama." She ran to the front door to strap on her roller skates.

"Wah, Sayuki-chan, you're so fast," Nanjirou said.

"Perverted old man," Ryoma muttered. "Gochisousama." He stood up and headed to where Sayuki was already waiting. He grabbed his tennis racket and school bag and left.

"We're leaving!" Sayuki called.

"Have a safe trip!" Rinko answered.

Momo was waiting for the pair. Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged smiles. They could feel a routine building.

* * *

_... Why... WHY is the beginning of this story so fluffish? D: Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against fluff. It's just that I epically fail at writing it. As you see here. It's just not my style... *_sighs_* Oh well._

_Reviews/criticism/questions?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey y'all! This chapter has Kuroki kicking some serious butt. I love this chapter... although it's written very badly. D:_

_Anyways, there's not much else to say, so enjoy!_

_-Kai_

GO KUROKI GO! TAKE UR REVENGE! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D

~Ryuu

* * *

"Kuroki~!" Sayuki said happily. It was the fourth day of school, but the third day for Sayuki and Kuroki.

"Come with me to the tennis club!" Sayuki said. Kuroki shrugged.

"Sure, why not. But what happened to your other friend? Sakuno was it?"

"Ah... I dunno. She's been avoiding me. Wonder why... Oh well! Let's go!" she said, marching away with Kuroki following behind.

"So have you thought up the test yet?" Sayuki asked Kaidou.

"Whoa! Where'd you... never mind. Yes, your test is to play against one of the regulars."

"But you only have three right? You, Momo-senpai, and Ryoma-kun."

"Yes, well... we'll work on that," Kaidou said, coughing. It was true. He'd have to find at least four more players. "Anyways, who would you like to play against?"

"Eh? I get to choose? Well..." Sayuki thought for a moment. "My stamina and power isn't that great cause I'm a girl, so I guess I'll go against Ryoma-kun."

"Are those three the only choices?" Eiji suddenly appeared, followed by the rest of the crew. "That's really boring. How about a choice from all of us?"

"To evaluate her skills, it's better that she goes against an all-rounder," Inui said. "Which means she will be playing Echizen or Tezuka-buchou."

"Eh! In that case, I'll still go with Ryoma-kun," Sayuki said. "Tezuka-senpai is too hard."

"I'll be right back," Kuroki murmured. "I have something to take care of." Sayuki nodded, and Kuroki left silently.

"Wait. Don't tell me that you never thought that we'd pay a visit?" Mizuki Hajime from St. Rudolph suddenly appeared at the gates, stepping forward.

"Ah, Yuuta," Fuji said, noticing his little brother.

"Hey Aniki," Yuuta said, smiling a bit.

"We're here to play some tennis-dane," Yanagisawa Shinya said, pointing a racket at Momo and Kaidou.

"We won't lose this time!" Kisarazu Atsushi declared.

"Ah, it's Donald Duck," Momo and Kaidou said in unison.

"I don't look like a duck-dane!" Shinya shouted.

"Quiet Shinya," Akazawa Yoshirō said. "But yes, we are here to play some friendly matches for old times' sake. Do you mind?"

"It's alright," Tezuka replied. "This is a good chance for us too." He looked at Sayuki and said, "Would you mind if you played against one of their players?"

"Eh? Sure, why not," she replied. She scanned the St. Rudolph players. "I'll play him," she said, pointing at Yuuta. "He has the best eyes."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Yuuta asked, sweat dropping. "Why do I have to play against a girl?"

"Just let them do what they want," Mizuki said, a slight smirk on his face. "Everybody else, choose your opponents."

Eventually, the lineup was decided. Momo and Kaidou faced Shinya and Atsushi for Doubles 2, while Eiji and Oishi faced Nomura Takya and Kaneda Ichirou in Doubles 1. Yuuta played Sayuki in Singles 3, while Mizuki and Fuji faced off in Singles 2, leaving the Singles 1 slot for the former captains, Yoshiro and Tezuka.

"First up, Doubles 2!" Inui said, the referee for the matches. "We will also have the Doubles 1 players playing on the other court. All players please step onto the courts!"

"I'll referee Doubles 1," Taka offered. Inui nodded, and Taka climbed onto the stand.

The Doubles 2 had taken a fairly short amount of time. Despite their bickering, Momo and Kaidou had won by a landslide. In Doubles 1, Eiji and Oishi had no need to go into Synchro in order to crush their opponents. Next, Inui refereed the Singles 3 game.

"I won't go easy on you just cause you're a girl," Yuuta said, shouldering his racket.

"Course!" Sayuki said, grinning. "This is my test anyways. Hope you give me a hard time!"

_Is this kid mocking me? _Yuuta wondered, sweat dropping. _It's not as annoying as Echizen's, but it still pisses me off cause she's SMILING while she's doing it._

"Hm... I wonder if I should use some one's eyes from the start?" Sayuki wondered aloud. Yuuta pretended he didn't hear, having no idea what she was talking about. Ryoma's team exchanged cautious glances.

"Which?" Yuuta asked, preparing to spin his racket.

"Smooth," Sayuki answered. Yuuta spun the racket, letting it fall. The letter faced front.

"Yay, I get to serve!" she said happily. Yuuta sighed, shouldering his racket, and took his position on

the court, preparing to receive the serve.

"M, I've decided! I'm going to use Fuji-senpai!" she said, smirking a bit. She held the ball out in front of her and spun it, hitting it as it fell.

"That's the Disappearing Serve!" Horio exclaimed. Ryoma tilted his hat lower, shading his eyes. Fuji kept his face clear of any expression. Yuuta attempted to hit it, but one can't hit what one can't see.

"I'm coming again," Sayuki said. Now that Yuuta payed attention, her eyes were exactly like his Aniki's... So was that what she meant about the eyes?

Serve after Disappearing Serve, Sayuki kept winning her service points. When it was Yuuta's turn to serve, she returned all of them, sometimes hitting a rally before using one of the six counters.

Sayuki had quickly and mercilessly beaten Yuuta.

"Amazing," Yuuta said, panting. "So this is what it's like playing against my brother." He stood up and held a hand out to Sayuki, who was a head shorter than him.

"Thanks for the awesome game," he said grinning. Sayuki returned the smile and shook hands. They both left the court for Fuji and Mizuki to take over.

"Hope you didn't mind," Sayuki murmured to Fuji as they passed.

"Of course not," Fuji replied, also smiling. "It was nice to see Yuuta having so much fun." Sayuki flashed a grin and went to get a drink of water.

"Ne, Ryoma-kun, you want a Ponta?" Sayuki asked. Ryoma shrugged and the went off together in search of a drink, unconcerned about Fuji's certain victory. As Fuji himself had said before, he never loses to the same person twice, and certainly doesn't lose to someone he had beaten once.

As predicted, Fuji had won with the first two counters. Yoshiro stepped forward for the next match as Tezuka took his place on the court. By then, Ryoma and Sayuki had already returned, sipping at their drinks.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Kuroki asked, suddenly appearing. She was petting Kakura, her pet weasel, occasionally fingering her cat ear ornaments.

"We're having some friendly matches with Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer!" Sayuki said. Kuroki and Ryoma sweat dropped.

"It's St. Rudolph," Yuuta corrected, rolling his eyes. Sayuki blinked, appearing to think it over.

"Whoops, I guess I was wrong!" she said, sticking her tongue out. Kuroki smiled, patting Sayuki on the head.

"Singles 1 match will now begin!"

_Sip. _Sayuki sipped at her drink. Ryoma stifled a yawn next to her. The rally had been going on for quite some time now. The score was 3 games to 2, with Tezuka leading. The sixth match had just begun, and the first point had not been scored yet.

Tezuka blinked, trying to guess which ball he should hit. Yoshiro's technique of hitting the ball with the edge of the racket to cause multiple balls to appear was getting very annoying. The only reason as to why Tezuka had lost 2 games was because he had hit the illusion ball.

"Che!" he muttered as he swung and felt no resistance.

Nobody expected the ball to go off course.

When Tezuka had swung at the ball, the tip of his racket had barely grazed it, causing it to change course.

And so the ball flew towards Sayuki.

"Oi! Wake up! You OK?" Sayuki blinked, hearing the jumble of concerned voices.

"Was I sleeping?" she asked, confused. She heard many sighs of relief.

"No, but you were blanking out," Ryoma explained. "The ball flew towards you. I think you got hurt."

"I... got hurt?" She felt the trickle of blood flowing from her cheek. Her eyes widened.

"Is it painful?" Yuuta asked, concerned.

"Dammit, no!" Sayuki shrieked. "Where the hell is Kuroki! DON'T LET HER STEP ON THE COURT!" Everyone blinked and froze, shocked by her sudden outburst. Sayuki frantically scanned the court in search of Kuroki, dashing towards Kuroki when she found her.

"Kuroki, you can't! I'm fine! See?" Sayuki tried to pull her away from the court, but Kuroki coldly shrugged her off.

"You," she said in a cold voice, glaring at Yoshiro. He automatically took a step back, as if that hate-filled glare were a million hands pushing him back. That one spoken word sent shivers down every body's spine.

"Off the court," she commanded Tezuka. "This is my match. Clean slate. No games won on either side. _Now._" Tezuka stumbled a bit before regaining his balance and cautiously stepping off the court.

"Sayuki. Give me your racket." Sayuki practically whimpered, unwilling to do anything. But she knew that the result would be a whole lot worse if she didn't listen.

"Please don't go Shinigami," she whimpered, bringing her the racket. Kuroki's expression softened for one second before turning harsh and demonic. She pulled the cat ear ornaments out of her hair and tossed them in Ryoma's general direction.

"Prepare to face hell," she said, smirking evilly.

The ambulance noisily drove away with sirens blaring as Ryoma shuddered and recalled the match.

"I will serve first," Kuroki said, looking down on him quite literally. Yoshiro took another step back, then took his position on the court, legs slightly shaking.

"O-oi, why are you praying?" Ryoma asked Sayuki, stuttering a bit.

"I'm praying that she'll let him live," she murmured under her breath. "Gods are merciless when angered... Especially those of death."

"First sin!" Kuroki shouted, tossing the ball into the air. "Lust!" She hit the ball with excessive force. The ball whizzed past Yoshiro's face, barely making it in. The spot where the ball bounced sizzled, leaving a black mark. After the bounce, the ball shot towards the fence, broke the fence, and nearly hit Horio as he squeaked and dodged the flying ball. It didn't stop until it hit the grove of trees nearby.

"Second sin!" she said, continuing. She threw another ball she had pulled from her pocket into the air. "Gluttony!" Poor Yoshiro didn't stand a chance. He was still shocked from the first serve. Or rather, shocked by how much he wanted the power that had been put into the first serve.

This time, the ball flew with much more speed, yet it had less power. It quite literally sliced the air and bounced right between his legs. Before bouncing up, however, the ball drew three circles on the ground before heading straight for Yoshiro's face.

"Argh!" he yelled as he barely dodged the hit. There was a small bruise forming on his cheek, and the pain seemed to snap him out of his daze. He attempted to be alert enough to at least try to hit the next serve.

Poor, poor Yoshiro.

"Third sin! Greed!" The ball shot forward, except this time it was continuously disappearing and reappearing, darting right and left. Yoshiro took a swing and missed, falling forward on his face. Inui suddenly remembered that he was referee.

"40-love!" he announced.

"Fourth sin! Sloth!" Yoshiro prepared to receive the shot, yet he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to hit it at the rate the game was going. Half-heartedly, he swung at the ball, missing. Yet the shot was normal and fairly simple, and he had returned trickier shots.

Yoshiro served, trying to keep his head.

"Fifth sin! Wrath!" Kuroki widened her stance, launching a powerful yet deadly accurate attack. The ball bounced forward, aiming at his knee no matter how Yoshiro attempted to dodge. Having no other choice, he lowered his racket in front of his knee and ended up lobbing.

"Sixth sin! Envy!" Kuroki practically flew as she leaped up, smashing with such speed and power that the ball didn't bounce until thirty seconds after it touched the ground. Momo, and everyone who was watching for that matter, felt a sudden jealousy for her skill. Sayuki just whimpered as everyone fell under Kuroki's spell of Death.

Yoshiro served again, knowing that even though his loss was certain at this point, he would keep his dignity and see this match to the very end.

"Final sin..." Kuroki said very quietly with a gentle look on her face. "... Pride."

Yoshiro screamed.

"Captain! Captain!" The St. Rudolph team ran alongside the men carrying the stretcher to the ambulance. The Seigaku team, on the other hand, just stood there... staring at nothing.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Sayuki murmured. Ryoma unfroze, glancing at her.

"But satisfaction brought him back," he finished quietly. Sayuki gave a weak smile, then turned and ran over to Kuroki.

Kuroki was staring up at the sky. "Amen."

Then she staggered forward and collapsed.

* * *

_Oooo... Kuro-chan kicked Yo-kun's butt! I seriously feel sorry for that guy though... It wasn't even his fault, but Kuroki's overprotectiveness turned into anger, and it had to go _somewhere_. So yeah..._

_Don't forget to check out my One Piece fanfic, Peace in a Pirate's Heart, and Ryuu's counterpart to that story, Paths to a Dead Heart. Also, check out Ryuu's 1/2 Prince story, Kokoro no Yume._

_Reviews/criticism/questions?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

PPL! PLEASE READ MY STORIES! AND PLEASE REVIEW SO WE KNOW WHAT TO PUT IN OUR STORIES AND IF YOU PPL LIKE IT OR NOT! THANK YOU!

~Ryuu

__


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey y'all! Continuing what happened from last chapter, where Kuroki totally kicked butt. Well, I won't keep you waiting and wasting time._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

YAY~

~Ryuu

P.S. I still feel bad for makin' Kai do all the work now...

* * *

"Oi! What happened?" The Seigaku team completely unfroze and began rushing towards Sayuki and Kuroki. Sayuki gave a small worried sigh.

"Every time," she murmured. She looked up at the group with sad little puppy eyes, causing them to sweat drop.

"I'm not strong enough to carry Kuro to the nurse's office," she said with regret. "Can one of you take her there?"

"I'll go," Tezuka volunteered. Everybody stared at him weirdly. Tezuka was the only one aware that he was the person who caused Sayuki's injury, albeit somewhat indirectly. Feeling guilty for this, he wanted to at least do this small task.

"Then, I'll take my leave," Sayuki said, somewhat relieved. "I've gotta get home and wash out this scratch. And... Kaidou-senpai, I'll assume that I'll still take the test tomorrow." She turned and left. Kaidou blinked.

"But why is she like this?" Momo asked, looking at Kuroki.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that she's exhausted," Ryoma replied, watching Sayuki go. "She was playing with more power than Momo-senpai, and equal or even higher power than Taka-senpai." He turned to look at Kuroki.

"I understand now... why she was so scared," Ryoma murmured. The team blinked and stared at him like he was crazy.

"Remember in the burger shop? She was talking about her matches with Kuroki. And she yelled at Momo-senpai." Momo shivered, glad that Sayuki _had _yelled at him. He certainly didn't want to end up like Yoshiro. He gulped as he remembered the St. Rudolph's former captain's bloody state...

* * *

The sin of pride was frightening. Truly, it was.

Kuroki struck the tennis ball with her racket with so much force that the strings snapped. But the ball flew towards Yoshiro's side of the court.

Unseen.

The ball ricocheted off the right pole, bounced once on the ground, and headed towards Yoshiro's face with so much speed that the ball was a slight blur. He attempted to block it with his racket, but the strings broke and the ball smashed into his face.

That was not the end of it. No, of course it wasn't.

The ball flew towards the left pole, bounced towards the ground, and headed for his face again.

This game of bloody ball would not end until the Death God was satisfied.

* * *

Kuroki stirred, sitting up in the bed.

"You're awake," Tezuka stated simply, staring off into space.

"M... How long was I out this time?" Kuroki asked. If she was surprised at Tezuka's presence, she didn't show it.

"Not very long, about half an hour," Tezuka replied. Kuroki yawned.

"I'm gonna go home and take a nap," she said, standing up. "Tell that captain guy that I'm sorry. See ya tomorrow at school." She walked out the door.

_A frightening yet intriguing person, _Tezuka thought before leaving.

* * *

"I'm home," Ryoma said, taking off his shoes as he entered. He wondered where Sayuki was as his mother came out and whispered, "Welcome back. Sayuki-chan is on the phone."

"'Kay," he said quietly as he walked upstairs to begin his homework. He blinked.

_Last time I checked, she didn't have any friends except Kuroki and the Seigaku team, and none of them could be on the phone right now. And Ryuzaki doesn't talk to her anymore. I wonder who she's talking with. _Ryoma forced the thoughts out of his head. What she did had nothing to do with him.

"Ano... I'm not gonna be at home tomorrow," Sayuki announced suddenly over breakfast.

"Eh? Oh... well, I guess that's fine," Nanjirou said. "But where are you going?"

"I'm meeting with some friends," she replied, standing up. "Thanks for the food. Come on Ryoma-kun, let's go."

"M, kay," he said, following her. "We're leaving."

"Have a safe trip!" Rinko replied.

* * *

Sayuki yawned.

"I heard you're going to go meet up with those three tomorrow?" Kuroki asked. Sayuki grinned.

"Yup! It's been a while since we last met them," she answered. "Um... was it in third grade?"

"Something like that," Kuroki replied. She smirked. "I wonder if someone is feeling a bit jealous..."

"Huh? You say something?"

"Nope. Let's go to the tennis club."

"We're here!" Sayuki said, waving at no one in particular.

"Yo, Sayu-chan!" Momo answered, grinning and waving back.

"Hey, Momo-senpai!" Sayuki said, returning a smile. "Ah, Kaidou-buchou, I still have to play against Ryoma-kun right?"

"Yeah," Kaidou replied, glancing over. "Yesterday you were playing as Fuji-senpai. The point of the test was so assess your own playing skills."

"So," she said, bouncing a tennis ball in her hand. "How many points do I need to score to join?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"I wonder if you can score a point against me without cheating," Ryoma said tauntingly. "After all, it seems that you've only played tennis by copying others."

"Just like you right?" Sayuki said with a grin, ignoring his tone. "You used to play tennis like your dad, right?"

"Oo, Echizen is actually losing before the battle!" Momo said teasingly.

"Let's start already," Ryoma said with a sigh, shouldering his racket. He turned and took his place on the court.

"Then should I serve?" Sayuki asked, pointing to herself. Ryoma shrugged.

"Sure. Don't see why not." Sayuki smirked and tossed the ball up into the air with her left hand. She swung the racket down.

"Let's get this started!" she shouted with glee.

"What, no tricks up your sleeve?" Ryoma asked, returning the fairly normal serve as she dashed to the right, trying to predict his movements. He grinned and hit the ball to the opposite side.

"Otto!" she said as she reached back while jumping, trying to reach the ball. She barely made it, hitting a lob. Ryoma dashed forward and smashed the ball. Sayuki carefully timed her swing, and hit the ball using both hands. The ball was almost out, hitting the line. Sayuki smirked.

"Well then," she said, tossing the racket back and forth from her left to her right hand. "Isn't it about time you started using your left hand?" Ryoma tilted his hat down.

"You're right," he said, switching his racket hands. "Not like I'm using the Twist Serve. But shouldn't you start getting serious too?"

"You noticed?" Sayuki grinned. "I'm a lefty too!" Ryoma blinked.

_I didn't expect that, _he thought. _I just knew that she wasn't going at full strength. _Then he grinned. _Things will be more interesting this way._

"Whoa!" Sayuki nearly got hit in the face by Ryoma's Twist Serve. The score was 1 game to 0, Sayuki leading. The current game was at 15-love, Ryoma leading.

"Aw, that serve is annoying!" Sayuki complained. Ryoma smirked and prepared to serve again. She smirked, slowly getting used to returning his shots.

Ryoma hit the ball. Sayuki hopped back a bit as it bounced, swinging at it as she did. Ryoma returned the shot behind her as she tried to get her balance.

"Shoot," she grumbled, tossing her racket slightly. She clenched the handle in between her teeth and turned her head, hitting the ball. Stunned, Ryoma stumbled a bit before he returned the ball. Sayuki jumped up, with the racket still in her mouth, and smashed the ball.

"15 all!" Sayuki smirked.

"Gimme a game worth playing," she said, taking the racket out of her mouth.

* * *

"Game set! 7-6! Victory goes to Saiki Sayuki!"

"Nice game," Sayuki said, smiling. She held out her hand. Ryoma tipped his hat lower, and shook hands with her.

"Wah... Echizen actually got beaten by a girl!" Momo said, amazed. "Even if it was Sayu-chan... Wow..." Kuroki laughed out loud, shocking everybody around her.

"Course Sayuki won! She won because she already won something else!" she said, giggling. She hugged Sayuki and pulled the cat ear ornaments out of her hair, placing them on Sayuki's head.

"I don't get it," Sayuki said. "Ne, Kuro, can you explain it to me." Kuroki snickered and shook her head.

"You'll have to find out when someone gets the guts to tell you," she said, walking away. "I've gotta go. See ya tomorrow with the other three!" She was still chuckling as she left.

Then Momo burst out in laughter, realizing what Kuroki had meant.

"That... is... hilarious," he said, trying to form a sentence in between his chuckles. "Echizen... you...?"

Ryoma said nothing, merely taking up his stuff and leaving.

"Ah, wait a sec," Sayuki said. "I'm going home too." Ryoma sighed and leaned against the fence, waiting. Momo kept on laughing.

"Hurry up," Ryoma muttered.

"See ya guys on Monday!" Sayuki called as she ran towards the waiting Ryoma.

* * *

_What the hell... _Ryoma tried to make sense of himself.

He was surprised that he lost. Of course. Everyone was. And a bit angry, and sad, and all those other emotions that come with losing.

But then... he had this feeling that he had _let _her win... No, not let. He had _wanted _her to win.

Yeah. Wanted to lose.

He would have to ask Momo or Kuroki about his feelings later. They seemed to get it a whole lot better than he did.

"Ne, Ryoma-kun, did you guys hear from the St. Rudolph captain?" Sayuki asked, sipping at her milk. It was Saturday morning, and she was preparing to leave after breakfast.

"N... I don't think so," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "But I'm pretty sure that he's OK." Sayuki gave a little sigh.

"That happened to me... once," she said very quietly. Ryoma blinked.

"But you recovered... right?"

"Yeah. But Kuroki... she..." Sayuki looked up at the ceiling. "She got scared. So now she only uses her Shinigami mode when someone that she's close to, like me, is hurt..." She turned and looked at Ryoma. "She's like me in some ways. Did you notice how her eyes changed?" Ryoma blinked and shook his head. Sayuki laughed quietly.

"I guess no one did then," she said softly. "Except... the person she was facing. When she turns Shinigami, her normally coal black eyes change to red... a glowing blood red. It's frightening to look at. Especially when she's glaring at you." Sayuki shivered a bit.

"Do you think he'll get better?" Sayuki shrugged.

"It's not something you can forget. And even if you get over it, there's always the injuries that will scar you." Ryoma blinked. _It's almost impossible imagining Kokoro hurting Sayuki, _he thought. He blinked again. Did he just think of her as Sayuki? Huh. Weird. He didn't recall becoming that close with her...

"Well, I gotta go or I'll be late," she said, standing up. "I'll be back at around three. See ya."

"Yeah. Bye." He waited until she left the house. Then he stood up. "Well, it's time to practice." He picked up his tennis racket.

"Dad! Get your lazy butt off the bed!"

* * *

_Yup... Ryoma is very confused right now, so he vents by playing tennis. Big surprise._

_Reviews/questions/criticism?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey, sorry for the wait! I've been busy with dance performances and last minute book reports, but I think I'll be able to get some more chapters up after this._

_Anyways, this is kind of a long chapter, and it introduces some new OC's of mine._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"Ryoma-kun... Oi, Ryoma-kun!" Ryoma slowly opened his eyes as someone patted him on the face.

"Wake up already!" the voice complained. Ryoma sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What do ya want Sayuki?" he asked, checking his clock. It read 7:30 AM on Sunday.

"Ugh... lemme sleep," he grumbled, falling back on his bed.

"Aw... I didn't wake you up for nothing!" Sayuki whined. "Come on! Your dad wants us to run an errand!" Ryoma muttered something incomprehensible and got up.

"I'm gonna change. Mind leaving me alone for a sec?" he said, sighing. Sayuki hopped off his bed and ran out of the room.

"Be down in five minutes! I've already made breakfast." Ryoma blinked. He didn't know that Sayuki made breakfast.

* * *

"Heh. Pancakes. Just what I wanted." Ryoma sat down and began to eat.

"So? What's our errand?" he asked, draining his glass of orange juice. "It must be pretty important to have him up this early and waking other people up."

"I dunno if it's important. He didn't tell me yet," Sayuki said with a sheepish smile. "He just told me to wake you up. I was already awake, so yeah." Ryoma sighed.

"Dad!" he called, running upstairs again. "What the heck did ya wake me up for!" Sayuki heard the _thump thump thump _of a second pair of footsteps as Nanjirou descended, nearly crashing into Ryoma.

"Yeah, yeah, sit down son," he said, dragging Ryoma down into the kitchen again. "I need you two to get some medicine."

"Why?" Sayuki and Ryoma asked in unison.

"Are you sick or something?" Sayuki asked. Nanjirou laughed.

"Do I look sick to you? No, it's Ryoma's mother. It felt like she was burning the bed and she's been coughing for an hour. She has a pretty high fever. So," he said. "I need you two to run down and get some medicine for her."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ryoma said, holding a hand up. "First of all, why don't you go and get it? Secondly, why did you ask Sayuki to wake me up? And how in the world did mom get sick?" Nanjirou snickered.

"You called her by her first name, no honorifics," he said, laughing. Ryoma ignored him. "When did you two get so close? But anyways, I'm busy. Those magazine reporters wanted an interview with me today and I don't even know why. And I asked Sayuki-chan to wake you up because I'm no good at waking you up. And your mother..." He trailed off, scratching his head. "How _did _she get sick?" he wondered aloud. Sayuki and Ryoma sweat dropped.

"Well anyways, off you two go!" he said, smiling. He practically kicked them out of the house.

"Mou, at least let me get on my roller skates!" Sayuki complained, strapping them on as quickly as possible. Ryoma waited patiently.

"Anyways, we're off!" Sayuki said, waving. She skated off, then paused, waiting for Ryoma. He blinked as he saw a bicycle coming towards them.

"Yo! You two on a date?" Momo called, snickering. Ryoma rolled his eyes, ignoring his friend.

"Aw, don't give me the cold shoulder!" Momo said, catching up. "And you were so open these past days. So anyways, what are you guys doing?"

"Ryoma-kun's mom has a really high fever so we're getting medicine," Sayuki explained.

"Oh," Momo said. "Then Ryoma should go, not both of you right?"

"True," Sayuki said thoughtfully. "I'll go back then." She turned and skated back towards the house. Ryoma and Momo watched her enter the house, only to be kicked back out by Nanjirou. Ryoma and Momo sweat dropped.

"He's reeaally insistent on me going," Sayuki said.

"We kinda guessed," Ryoma said. "Momo-senpai, are you coming with us?"

"Sure, I don't have anything better to do," Momo replied, shrugging. "Hop on."

* * *

"Eh... Do either of you guys know where we're supposed to go?" Sayuki asked as the trio was wandering through a street bordered by many stores and restaurants. Ryoma and Momo froze, causing Sayuki to sweat drop.

"Momo-senpai, I thought you knew where it was," Ryoma said, eyes narrowing as he stared at Momo. Momo was glaring back with the same expression.

"And I thought you did," he answered. "How could you not know where you're going?"

"Yeesh people, don't start a fight," Sayuki said. "I was just asking. If you guys don't have a place to go, I could run over to my friend's place and get some medicine there."

"Why didn't you tell us you had a friend who sold medicine?" Momo and Ryoma demanded. Sayuki sweat dropped.

"You guys should go back," she said, turning and waving them away. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"Fine," Ryoma said, yawning. "I need to sleep anyways..." He glanced at Momo. "What were you doing so early in the morning?"

"Getting some breakfast," Momo replied, pedaling back towards Ryoma' house. The wind stung Ryoma's cheeks, and his fingers were freezing. He forced his right hand into his pocket, holding his other hand on Momo's shoulder to keep his balance. He was surprised to feel Sayuki's eraser in his pocket.

"Looks like I forgot to return it to her," he murmured to himself.

"Ya say something?"

"No."

* * *

"I'm ba- Where the heck is everyone?" Sayuki shouted as she opened the door.

"Get upstairs!" Nanjirou hissed as he ran inside the house from the backyard. "Don't come out until I tell you to. Give me the medicine and go!"

"Fine, fine," Sayuki muttered. She raced up the stairs and jumped on her bed, closing the door. She blinked as she saw Ryoma at her desk.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"Returning your eraser I borrowed," he replied simply. She sweat dropped.

"You borrowed it... what, four days ago? You remember _now_?"

"Well, sor-ry," he muttered. "I just remembered it when I felt it in my pocket." Sayuki sighed, shifting herself to a sitting position on her bed. Ryoma joined her, sitting next to her.

"I'm bored," she complained.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"I dunno. Your dad told me to stay upstairs. By the way, where's Karupin?"

"Jeez, you're so random," Ryoma sighed. "I think Karupin was in my room..." He was interrupted by meowing outside Sayuki's door.

"Speak of the devil and he appears," Sayuki giggled, opening the door. Karupin marched in, promptly falling asleep in the middle of the room. Sayuki and Ryoma sweat dropped.

"So? Why is your dad locking me upstairs in my room?" Sayuki asked. Ryoma shrugged.

"I guess he wants to keep the fact that you're living here a secret. Not that I know why, but whatever. I've never kept up with my dad." Sayuki cocked her head, staring at him.

"Did you ever notice that you've changed a lot?" she asked suddenly. "When I first met you... I mean when I was filling in for you, you were a very calm and cool person, if not extremely arrogant. But when I met you the second time, at your house, you seemed more open. And maybe modest? I dunno. But you were just... different."

"Yeah, I noticed too," he sighed. "Dunno why, and dunno if I can go back to how I was. I try, but it's not working." He glanced around the room, trying to change the subject.

"Your room is kinda messy."

"Yup. I'm pretty lazy. I didn't do my bed this morning," she replied, looking behind her at the bed she was sitting on. Ryoma looked too and saw that the blankets were a mess, some hanging off the edge of the bed.

"That's a bad habit," Ryoma said. Sayuki yawned, not bothering to answer. Karupin woke up, stretched, and walked over to the bed. It examined the sheets dangling off the bed, and deciding that they were new play things, jumped up and tugged on them.

"Whoa!" Sayuki and Ryoma fell on the floor as Karupin walked away, satisfied with its work. Ryoma groaned and rubbed his head, balancing on all fours. Sayuki burst out laughing.

"That was fun," she said. "Now please get off me Ryoma-kun." Ryoma blinked and realized that he was on top of Sayuki. Embarrassed, he got up quickly.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Sayuki laughed.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling. "If it's any one's fault, it's probably mine. I should really clean up my room." There was a knock on the door.

"Sayuki-chan, the interview is over. You can come out now. Ryoma, are you in there too? I heard your voice." Nanjirou opened the door slightly, as if he was half-expecting to be interrupting something. He seemed disappointed when he found out that he wasn't.

"Anyways, you two should go to bed earlier today," he said. "Don't want you guys to fall asleep again."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sayuki and Ryoma said in unison.

"I'll be here drawing," she said. "Nobody bothers me if they want to keep their fingers unbroken."

"Yeesh," Nanjirou said, scratching his head as he left the room with Ryoma. "That girl gets really violent when she's in her ticked off personality. Wonder who she gets that from." Ryoma looked up at his dad, confused.

"You know. Which parent she gets that trait from."

"Oh." Ryoma thought about that for a moment.

_Wonder which eye belongs to each parent? _he thought. _Now that I think about it, I wonder if that's her natural eye colors. She might have just copied them from her parents... Then the only people who know her natural eye color are her parents, and they're dead. _He blinked. _Maybe that's what she was so sad about when we were in the burger shop? _He decided he'd better not dwell on Sayuki. He was feeling pretty hungry anyways. It was almost time for lunch.

* * *

"How's Rinko-san doing?" Sayuki asked as she set down breakfast on Monday morning.

"Better," Nanjirou replied, digging in. "Her fever's gone down a lot. But really, you make good breakfast Sayuki-chan."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "I usually made my own meals when I was living with my relatives."

"Well that's harsh." Nanako came from down the stairs. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to make my own food. I'd probably just eat out all the time."

"Gotta go," Sayuki said, checking her watch. "I have to get to school early today. I'm meeting some old friends who just transferred today."

"The people you met on Saturday?" Ryoma asked as he chugged the remains of his drink. Sayuki nodded and left with a piece of bread in her mouth.

"We're leaving!" she called, voice muffled. She quickly strapped on her roller skates and leaped down the stairs. Ryoma jumped after her.

"Momo-senpai, good morning!" Sayuki gasped as she finished the bread. "Lucky you got here early this morning."

"What's the rush?" he asked, pedaling up next to her. Ryoma hopped on behind him.

"Meeting some friends who just enrolled," Sayuki explained as she skated ahead. Momo blinked for a second before catching up to her.

* * *

"Kaze! Daichi! Suigo!" Sayuki called as she dashed through the school gates. Three boys who were being surrounded by a crowd of squealing girls suddenly looked up, grinning.

"Sayuki!" one called, waving. He was wearing a power band on his left hand. He looked like a black haired Fuji with tamer hair and with his eyes open, only his eyes were a chocolate brown.

"Sa-yu~" another shouted, extending her nickname. This one was half a head shorter than the first one, but his spiky hair made up for most of the height. The black hair was tinted orange at the edges. His eyes were an emerald green, sparkling with excitement. He was one of those kinds of people who never wore their school uniform, no matter what the teacher told them. He was currently wearing khaki pants and a white t-shirt.

"..." The last one said nothing, but he looked just as happy to see Sayuki as the other two did. His hair was spiky as well, but a bit neater than the second one's. His eyes were a grayish-blue, a cold color that betrayed only one emotion at a time. He was taller than the second tallest one by about a head.

They were all undoubtedly good looking, which explained the crowd of girls surrounding them. They somehow managed to break free of the crowd, though, and they all ran towards Sayuki. They froze as they saw Ryoma and Momo standing behind her.

"Oh, these two are Ryoma-kun and Momo-senpai," she explained, gesturing to the two. And to Ryoma and Momo she said, "These are Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze," pointing to each on as she said their names.

"I'm Matsui Daichi. Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the first one, adjusting his power band. He smiled a bit and added, "Sayuki says that I'm the friendly, smart type."

"... Kimiharu Kaze," the tall one said. "Apparently I'm the cool type."

"I'm Watanuki Suigo!" the last one said. "And I agree with Sayu's description of me. I'm a mischievous prankster." He grinned evilly. Momo and Ryoma sweat dropped.

"Do you guys know which class you're all in?" Sayuki asked.

"M... Class 2-A," Suigo said, thinking a bit before replying.

"Ah, that's our class!" Sayuki said happily. Daichi blinked a bit and looked up at Momo.

"I seriously doubt that you're a second year."

"He's a third year," Sayuki explained.

"Nah, he actually got held back a year," Ryoma smirked. Momo shot him a glare.

"I'm not stupid, Echizen," Momo muttered. Kaze blinked.

"I want candy," he said suddenly. Everybody sweat dropped and stared at him weirdly.

"Um... yeah... about Kaze," Sayuki said, scratching her head. "He's weirder than Kuroki in ways... Even if he _does _look cool on the outside."

"Someone mention me?" Kuroki appeared behind Ryoma. She gave Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze swift glares before skipping over to Sayuki's side.

"Heh," Daichi said. "Here comes Sayuki's 'mom'."

"The overprotective type too," Suigo added.

"You guys, knock it off!" Sayuki complained. "Don't start fighting again!"

"Again?" Ryoma murmured as Kuroki bounced off to her high school.

"Yeah," Sayuki replied. "Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze don't get along with Kuroki very well. In fact, they don't get along _at all._" She paused. "Kaze and Kuroki kinda get along though."

"Wonder why she doesn't get along," Momo snickered. "Maybe cause 'mom' won't let her little kid near anyone who seems a bit... trouble making?"

"Aw, Momo-senpai, just shut up about the mom thing."

"Sure Sayu-chan." Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze all perked up simultaneously at the mention of Momo's nickname for Sayuki.

"Sayu-chan? Who's Sayu-chan? I'm the only one who can call her Sayu!" Suigo smirked. "Cause if you call her that, doesn't that make you a pedo?"

"What the..." Momo blinked. "That didn't make sense at all!"

"Come on," Sayuki said, sighing. She grabbed Ryoma's sleeve and dragged him off towards the school. Her childhood friends blinked.

"I didn't know she got along so well with anyone but ourselves," Daichi said. Momo snickered.

"You three have a new rival besides yourselves," he said, walking away. Suigo twitched.

"I don't think I like our new senpai."

* * *

"Sayu, your lunch looks good," Suigo said, sniffing Sayuki's lunch.

"You need to break your habit of smelling people's food, it's rude, " Daichi said, bringing his own lunch next to Sayuki. "Anyways, where's your lunch?"

"Kaze took it," Suigo replied, pointing to Kaze with his thumb. Daichi sweat dropped as he saw Kaze devouring Suigo's lunch within seconds.

"Again? Sheesh," Sayuki sighed. She stuffed some of her food into Suigo's mouth.

"Guard your lunch better next time," she said, letting Suigo eat out of her lunchbox. "You know how big of an appetite he has. He'll eat anything in sight." She blinked as she realized that the food she had been holding with her chopsticks was gone. She sweat dropped as she saw Kaze chewing something.

"I don't have that big of a lunch," Sayuki complained. "Go eat Daichi's!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryoma was having trouble trying not to break his own command for Sayuki.

_Dammit, I'm not supposed to know her that well, _he said, eating his own lunch. _So why the heck do I get the urge to beat the crap out of those three guys?_

"Oi, Echizen!" Ryoma looked up, hearing Momo.

"Wanna go eat on the rooftop?" Ryoma picked up his stuff and followed his senpai to the top of the school.

* * *

"Ne, Sayu... What the heck are you three doing here?" Kuroki appeared at the doorway happily, but she walked towards Sayuki with caution.

"We're not wolves," Daichi said, sweat dropping. "We don't like you either, but we're willing to at least try to get along for Sayuki's sake."

"Fine," Kuroki said, rolling her eyes. She blinked as she saw Kaze eating some chocolate.

"Can I have some?" she asked. Kaze broke the chocolate in half and handed her some.

"Thanks." She broke it into smaller pieces and popped them in her mouth.

"Those girls are getting too close to Daichi-sama!"

"And Suigo-sama!"

"Why won't they leave Kaze-sama alone?"

"Oh crap, attack of the fangirls," Sayuki said, sweat dropping. "And they're blocking the only exit..." She grinned as she glanced at the windows behind her.

"It's the freaking third floor," Kuroki hissed. "Don't even think about it. I know you can do it, but I won't allow it."

"Too late," Kaze said, biting off another chunk and looking down the open window. "She's already jumped."

"Did you see that! We can't let such reckless people near our precious Daichi!"

"Suigo-sama is better!"

"Kaze is definitely the coolest!"

"Urgh, this happens everything you guys are here," Kuroki muttered. "This is why I hate hanging around you guys. Sayuki, look out below!" With that, she leaped out the window.

"You guys, at least remember the fact that you're wearing skirts," Daichi said, sweat dropping.

* * *

"I got outta there, now where to go?" Sayuki wondered. "I know! I'll go find Ryoma-kun. He's probably on the roof." She bounded into the school and up the stairs, unaware that Kuroki was behind her, lost.

* * *

"What the heck? What's with all the fainted people?" Kuroki wondered aloud as she landed lightly on her feet. "And why is there blood on the guys' faces? Whatever. Now where did Sayuki go? Sayuki? Sayuki! God, I've lost her again. I have no sense of direction..." And so she began her third wandering of Seigaku.

* * *

"Ryoma-kun! Found ya!" Ryoma and Momo jumped as they heard Sayuki call Ryoma.

"Yeah... hey," Ryoma said weakly. _Why is it that people can never appear normally?_

"You know how you said I wasn't supposed to be close to you so I won't get attacked by fangirls? Yeah, that's not a problem anymore. I'm being stalked by fangirls anyways." Sayuki grinned as Ryoma sweat dropped.

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Momo asked. Sayuki shrugged.

"I'm used to it anyways," she replied. "It happens all the time."

"Yeah, but if you hang around me you'll have even more fangirls attacking you," Ryoma said, sipping at his drink.

"I didn't think of that!" Sayuki said, shocked. "I gotta get outta here!" She hopped back down the stairs with Ryoma and Momo watching her, sweat dropping.

"She comes and goes within seconds..." Momo muttered. Ryoma shrugged.

"What'cha gonna do about it?"

* * *

_Yup, Ryoma begins to ask the big question... What's with Sayuki's eyes?_

_Reviews/criticism/comments/questions?  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	10. Chapter 10

YES FINALS R OVER~ AND NOW I CAN RELAX! + HELP MEH LIL SIS W/ SPACING~

~ Ryuu

_Yeah.. What she said._

_Haha, fangirls are evil. And that shows very much in this chapter._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

**

* * *

**

Sayuki blinked as she found herself surrounded by a group of girls.

"What are you trying to pull?" one demanded.

"Um... My shoes out of my locker?" Sayuki asked, confused.

"You're getting so close to the hawtie three just cause you guys are childhood friends!" the girl shouted. The others nodded in agreement, and others shouted, "Yeah!"

"The hawtie three?" Sayuki snorted. "My god. Wait till they hear this. You guys are really obsessed, aren't you? Will you guys go away if I give you guys some pictures of when they were little?"

"Tempting, but no," the leading girl said. Some of the girls murmured protest, but they reconsidered and agreed with the girl.

"Can I go home now? This is getting boring," Sayuki said, putting on a face that said, "Been there, done that."

"Now that you mention home, you've been walking to and from school with Ryoma-sama too!" one girl shouted from the crowd. A gasp of shock went through. Some girls shouted angrily, while other whispered and murmured to each other. Sayuki yawned lazily, thinking, _Crap, they found out. Oh well. Only a matter of time anyways. I'll have to tell Ryoma-kun later._

"Yeah? So? Our houses are in the same direction," Sayuki said. "I can't _not _walk with him."

"That's not the problem!" the leader said, stomping her foot. _Wow, people actually stomp their feet when they're angry? _Sayuki wondered. _Amazing._

"So what is?" Daichi asked at the edge of the crowd. The girls gasped and turned around in one motion.

"Is it the fact that we can't get through?" Suigo asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Or is it us? Cause if you're bothering Sayuki we might just decide to transfer schools... with Sayuki of course," Kaze murmured softly, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Of course not!" the leader said shakily. "We were just trying to make friends with her! She's also new to the school, and..."

"Funny, couldn't you have done that a while ago?" Daichi asked, clearly implying that she was lying.

"Ne, Sayu, you're lucky," Suigo said, grinning. "You have so many people who want to be friends with you! Of course, friends just _have _to get along, right?" he said with a dark smirk as he looked down at the girls with mocking eyes.

"Sayuki, catch," Kaze said, tossing a small package to her. "It's from the person who was on the roof at lunch."

"Which one?" Sayuki asked, holding the square package.

"The shorter one," Kaze said, turning around and waving. "And if you girls don't want to get in trouble, I suggest that you all leave Sayuki alone." He turned his head, glaring. "And not just today. Every single day." The girls meeped and nodded their heads furiously, quickly running away.

"Thanks guys," Sayuki said, smiling. She tore the paper that was wrapped around the small box and lifted the lid.

"Um... it's empty," Sayuki said.

"Don't ask us, ask the one who gave it to you," Daichi said, following Kaze.

"He's at the tennis courts," Suigo added, leaving last.

"Thanks," she said again. She re-wrapped the box and headed towards the tennis courts. She paused as she considered the fact that it would be her first day as part of the club and she grinned as she started off again.

* * *

"Ne, Ryoma-kun, what's this box for?" Sayuki asked, walking through the gates to the tennis courts. Ryoma looked up and finished tying his shoes and shouldered his racket as he walked over to Sayuki.

"Oh, that? You only got one? Was it from Kimiharu or Watanuki?" he asked.

"Kaze gave it to me," Sayuki replied. "But what is it for?"

"Just a test," Ryoma said. "In case I need to send a message to you, I need to know who I can give it to."

"Oh. That makes a bit more sense." Sayuki glanced around the courts. "So what do I do?"

"Wait until Kaidou-buchou gives us directions," Ryoma said, stifling a yawn. "Ryuzaki-sensei is coming today too."

"Ryuzaki-sensei? Who's that?"

"Ryuzaki's grandma. She's the coach." Just then, Ryuzaki-sensei appeared from behind the two.

"Ryoma, what are you doing here slacking off? Hurry up and get on the courts," she scolded. "And you Sayuki, come over here with me." Ryoma pulled his hat lower and walked off, rolling his eyes.

"Yo, Echizen!" Momo called. "Mamushi told us to go play some matches! You wanna go?" Ryoma smirked.

"You're gonna lose again," he answered, tucking his racket under his arms.

* * *

"Sheesh, you're always so merciless," Momo complained, wiping the sweat off his chin. "But you went easy on Sayuki. What's with that?" Ryoma blinked. Momo was right. Ryoma could've used Muga no Kyouchi, or other of his techniques.

"Oh, Sayuki," Momo called, waving. "What did the old lady want from you?"

"Eh? Oh, nothing much," she answered, slightly dazed. "I really need a good night's sleep... What day is it today?"

"Monday," Ryoma answered.

"Oh, good. I can go to bed earlier today then. Homework should be light." Sayuki yawned. "Un... Are our semapis going to visit today?"

"Now that you mention it, it's been a while," Momo said thoughtfully. "I have a feeling that we're going to get a visit from our old friends."

"And you're feeling is correct!" Tachibana Ann said joyfully, skipping in. She was followed by her older brother and the rest of the Fudomine team.

"Sorry to intrude," Tachibana Kippei said. "The team was just begging to have a match with you. But it seems that your senpais are not here?"

"Yeah, but I'll call them if you want me to," Momo answered. Kaidou came and joined the group.

"That'd be great," Tachibana replied.

"I'll go," Sayuki volunteered. "I have to go find Kuroki anyways. She disappeared somewhere." Sayuki ran off.

"So Seigaku lets girls in the boys' tennis teams now?" Tachibana asked doubtfully, cocking an eyebrow.

"She's an exception," Kaidou answered stiffly.

"Nice," Kamio Akira said, grinning. "I wanna know the full story while we wait."

"I'm ba-! Why the crap is everyone staring at me like that?" Sayuki announced as she ran over to Ryoma's side with the Seigaku ex-regulars and Kuroki following.

"Do the eye thing!" Ann said.

"Uh... sure," Sayuki said, sweat dropping as the Fudomine team kept on staring at her. "I'll use... him." She pointed at Ibu Shinji. "Now lemme look at your eyes." She kept eye contact with him for thirty seconds, with Shinji mumbling complaints about being used all the while. She concentrated on her eyes and once again went through the transformation process. Now the two were mumbling the exact same words in unison.

"OK, that mumbling is getting annoying," Ryoma said, smacking Sayuki on the forehead. She blinked twice. She stared at the sky for a moment.

"Um... What am I doing here again?" she asked with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head. "And I dunno anyone here besides Kuroki and Ryoma-kun..."

"Oh my god, are you serious?" Kuroki said with a sigh. "Nobody panic. This happens sometimes. Every once in a while, she forgets everything except me, Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze after changing back. It's temporary. She'll get her memory back in a couple of minutes. Carry on." She glanced strangely at Ryoma. _It's true that she's never remembered anyone besides her childhood friends... So why does she remember this guy?_

"Does she have to be hit in the head to change back?" Kamio asked. Kuroki snickered and shook her head.

"Nah, that's just his way of changing her back," she said, looking at Ryoma with a teasing grin on her face. Momo and Eiji snickered along with her.

"Hey look, a butterfly," Sayuki said, watching the insect as it fluttered past her face. It flew higher, and Sayuki wore a look of disappointment on her face.

"Don't leave now," she complained, backing up a few steps. "You just... came!" On the last word, she ran forward and leaped into the air, caught the butterfly by a wing with one hand, turned a summersault and landed lightly on the ground. Everybody present blinked and stared at her.

"Who wants a butterfly?" she asked cheerfully with a grin. She opened her hand to reveal the unharmed butterfly flapping its wings slowly.

"Sayuki," Kuroki said calmly, apparently unsurprised. "I think that it would be better if you let it go." Sayuki shrugged and gently tossed the butterfly into the air.

"Go on," she urged softly. When the butterfly flew away, she froze again, blinking. She yawned and fell asleep, falling to the ground. Ryoma, who was nearest to her, caught her with one arm.

"She usually falls asleep after regaining her memory," Kuroki explained. "Then again, she's the type who falls asleep anywhere, anytime anyways."

"I'm not taking her home again," Ryoma said. Everybody turned to Kuroki, who held her hands up.

"Can't carry her, I'm not strong enough," she said. Everyone turned back to Ryoma, who sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But I still want to play."

"Then be quick." Ryuzaki-sensei appeared again. "We'll leave you Singles 1. So hurry up." He sighed again and heaved Sayuki onto his back. He ran off quickly, or as quickly as one can while carrying a person.

"We'll give him some more time while we decide the match ups," Tachibana added. Eventually, they decided to line the players up as the following. Doubles 2 was Uchimura Kyosuke and Mori Tatsunori against Kaidou and Momo. Doubles 1 was Ishida Tetsu and Sakurai Masaya versus Eiji and Oishi. Singles 3 was Kamio versus Fuji, and Singles 2 was Tachibana versus Tezuka, leaving Singles 1 for Shinji and Ryoma. Once again, Kaidou and Momo beat their opponents single-handedly, though they were a bit irked at playing Doubles again. Eiji and Oishi had some trouble against the Hadokyuu, but they managed to defeat Ishida and Sakurai. Fuji had overcome Kamio's speed, not being called a prodigy for nothing.

Ryoma had returned by the time the Singles 2 match began.

* * *

"... Oishi, how long has this match been going on?" Eiji asked boredly.

"Half an hour," Oishi replied in the same tone.

"And how many points have been scored?"

"None."

"Agh, why can't we just call it a tie and get on with Singles 1!" Eiji yelled, frustrated.

"We could do that," Tachibana said with a grin, hitting the ball to Tezuka's side of the court. "How about it, Tezuka?"

"Then we shall finish later," Tezuka answered, returning the ball. Tachibana caught the ball and tossed it to Shinji.

"Go, Ochibi!" Eiji yelled enthusiastically. "Make this a quick one! I wanna go home already!"

"Kakura," Kuroki murmured under her breath. The weasel popped out of the bushes and leaped into her lap. "Go check on Sayuki." Kakura nodded and dashed off.

"Why do I have to serve?" Shinji muttered under his breath. "Why can't we just say that Seigaku won and get it over with? I mean, I have things to do. Third years have a lot of homework..." He continued muttering to himself, starting his Kick Serve.

* * *

"N... Where am I?" Sayuki mumbled, sitting up. She found herself in her bed. She faintly recalled a butterfly...

"Great, I must have blanked out again," she groaned. "Is it just me or is it really hot today...?" She glanced out the window. It was a sunny day, but the sun was covered by the clouds at the moment.

"Sayuki-chan, how are you doing?" Nanjirou asked, appearing at the doorway. He found Sayuki unconscious in her bed.

"Sayuki-chan?"

* * *

"Game and set, Echizen Ryoma!" Ryoma sighed, stepping off the court while shouldering his racket. He noticed Kuroki whispering anxiously to her pet weasel, Kakura.

"What's wrong?" he asked, approaching them. Kuroki looked up with a hopeless look on her face.

"It's Sayuki," she said in a pleading voice. Ryoma jolted at the sound of Sayuki's name.

"What?" he asked worriedly.

"She's running a fever," Kuroki replied, glancing back down to Kakura. The European Pine Marten squeaked. "Over 103° F..." Without bothering to hear more, Ryoma packed his tennis racket and the rest of his school supplies and ran the entire way home with a quick goodbye to his senpais.

"Dad!" Ryoma yelled as he burst into his house. "Where are you?" His father came thumping down the stairs two at a time.

"Ryoma, did that weird weasel tell you what happened?" his father asked, his words flowing together so quickly that Ryoma had to struggle to hear what he was saying. "It just came in here, stared at Sayuki and the thermometer I was holding for a couple of seconds, then ran off."

"Yeah, that's Kokoro's weasel," Ryoma explained impatiently. "How bad is Sayuki's fever?" he demanded.

"It hasn't gone down," Nanjirou said. "It's still around 103°F. I just gave her some medicine that your mother had leftover from when she was sick. We'll need more though.

"I'm gonna go ask her where she got the medicine from," Ryoma mutter, shoving past his father and running up the stairs.

* * *

"Suigo, stop trying to get into the girls' changing room and get your butt over here!" Kuroki demanded. Suigo sulkily walked towards Kuroki.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he grumbled.

"Sayuki's running an insanely high fever," Kuroki explained. Suigo twitched.

"Are you serious?" he demanded, suddenly serious. "She hasn't caught a cold since Kindergarten!"

"Who cares, even if you are a stalker," Kuroki said impatiently. "Your parents are doctors right? Go ask them for medicine for her. I'm going to run over to her house and see how she's doing. Hurry up! If you can find Daichi and Kaze, tell them. They'll be worried too."

"You bet," Suigo murmured, beginning to run. "Sayuki, hang in there..."

* * *

"Sayuki," Ryoma murmured softly. "Sayuki!" She groaned, turning over on her bed.

"What, Ryoma?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Where did you get the medicine for my mom?" he asked, going straight to the point. He didn't want to keep her up and talking.

"Suigo... his parents are doctors," she mumbled weakly. "Don't bother... Kuroki will probably come with the medicine... or Suigo..." Sayuki trailed off, having a sudden coughing fit.

"OK, OK," Ryoma said quickly. "You just get some rest now. If you're not better by tomorrow, I'll take notes in class for you. Don't worry and get better." Sayuki laughed a bit.

"You never pay attention in class," she said, still chuckling. Ryoma rolled his eyes, wondering how she knew that.

"Ryoma!" Nanjirou called up the stairs. "The girl with the weasel is here! She said that another kid will be coming with the medicine in a few!"

"OK!" Ryoma yelled back. "Sayuki's doing OK! Tell Kokoro to come up!" He let out a sigh, slightly exhausted by the events of the day. He didn't move when the door slammed open, Kuroki bouncing in.

"Sayuki, are you OK?" she asked worriedly. Sayuki managed a feeble nod. Kuroki patted her on the forehead, murmuring soothing words to her.

"She's burning," Kuroki muttered so that only Ryoma could hear. "How high is her fever?" Kakura curled up in Kuroki's lap, squeaking nervously.

"The same," he muttered back. "Dad said it hasn't gone down at all."

"Dammit, where is that moron?" Kuroki growled angrily. Just then, Suigo burst through the door, panting and out of breath, but holding out a box of medicine.

"How is she?" Suigo asked breathlessly, plopping down in a chair. "I called Daichi and Kaze on the way. They'll be here soon enough."

"Hey Suigo," Sayuki said, her voice even softer than before. "I'm feeling OK." No one believed her.

"It's always been like this," Kuroki muttered as they left the room to let Sayuki rest. "No matter how badly she was injured, or how sick she was, she'd never complain a single bit."

"That's exaggerating," Suigo countered. "I can remember that one time when-"

"That was when her parents were alive," Kuroki answered. "Ever since her parents died, she's done whatever she could to keep us from worrying about her. That's part of the reason why her more sarcastic personality doesn't appear much.

"Ryoma! Sayuki's friends are here!" Nanjirou called up the stairs. Suigo leaped down the stairs, two at a time, to greet Daichi and Kaze. Kuroki followed him, while Ryoma waited upstairs. When no one came, he decided to go check on Sayuki again.

"You up?" he murmured softly as he stepped in the room. Sayuki shifted her head in a slight nod.

"Where are the others?" she whispered.

"Dunno," he answered, taking a seat next to the bed. He touched her forehead lightly, withdrawing it quickly when it burned him.

"Jeez, you're burning," he grumbled. Sayuki laughed quietly.

"I heard your conversation," she said after a moment. "It's true... I always wanted to cause as little trouble as possible." She laughed bitterly. "Guess I failed at that."

"We cause the trouble for ourselves," Ryoma replied. "If Kokoro and the others didn't care for you, then they wouldn't have bothered to come. You never made us." He paused for a moment. "Then again, this might not have happened if my dad hadn't brought you here. It might be his fault in a way." Sayuki smiled, closing her eyes.

"I think I'm ready to go to sleep now," she told him. As Ryoma got up to leave, she asked, "Can you do me a favor? Stay." Ryoma sat back down, watching as she slowly relaxed into sleep.

By the next morning, Sayuki was actually capable of sitting up in bed and eating her meals by herself.

"Some improvement," Kuroki commented sarcastically. "At least we won't have to feed her." Sayuki agreed sheepishly. Kuroki had fed Sayuki her previous meals.

"The food sucks around her now," Ryoma muttered. Sayuki laughed a little bit.

"Kuroki, you didn't have to stay over did you?" Sayuki asked. Kuroki shrugged, not answering.

"Ryoma! Kuroki-chan!" Ryoma's mother called. "Breakfast!"

"See you after school," Kuroki whispered to Sayuki before leaving. Sayuki waved them goodbye, letting out a small sigh.

"School... huh."

* * *

"Eh! Sayuki-chan is sick?" Sakuno said in disbelief. Kuroki nodded solemnly.

"Anyways, have you been avoiding her for some reason lately?" Kuroki asked. Sakuno hesitated before explaining how she had seen Ryoma carrying Sayuki.

"Didn't he just say that senpai-tachi just forced her on him?" Kuroki said, covering the incident up casually.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But nothing," Kuroki said, beginning to get impatient.

"I guess you're right," Sakuno said, relieved and assured that there was nothing between Ryoma and Sayuki. "How is Sayuki-chan doing?" Kuroki shrugged.

"Better, I guess." Underneath her cool and calm mask, Kuroki was extremely panicked and worried about Sayuki. After all, Sayuki was the only person she even remotely cared about.

"Should I visit her after school?" Sakuno wondered aloud. Ryoma and Kuroki froze. So far, no one had found out that Sayuki was living at Ryoma's house. And if things were to stay peaceful, it would stay that way.

"I... don't think that's a good idea," Kuroki said, struggling to form the words. "She's not that well, and visitors might get sick."

"Oh... true," Sakuno said. "I'd have to ask my parents too. Maybe I can go see her when she's better."

"Yeah... maybe..."

* * *

"Hey, Sayuki." Ryoma walked into her room with some papers in hand. "Notes from today's classes. You owe me." He dropped them on the edge of her bed. Sayuki smiled.

"Yeah, I owe you," she answered. "Probably because this was the first time you've actually payed attention in English." Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"I don't need the class," he muttered.

"Neither do I. I lived in America longer than you have," she pointed out. "So if you took notes in English, you just made more work for yourself. I bet Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze all wrote notes too, so I'm going to have four sets of the same thing." She sighed. "Oh well. I'll just pick the one that's easiest to read. Have you ever tried reading Suigo's handwriting? It's horrible!"

"You're talkative today," Ryoma answered. "Are you sure that you're still sick." Sayuki paused before replying.

"Yeah, I still have a fever," she replied. "But I'm kinda talkative cause I haven't talked with anyone today. And I'm kinda lonely."

"Sayuki-chan!" Ryoma and Sayuki jumped as a stranger burst into the room. "Are you OK? Are you feeling well? How's your fever?" A woman around 20 years of age bearing a striking resemblance to Kuroki ran towards Sayuki, worry and concern etched on her face. Another person stood in the doorway, looking exactly the same as the first person. Kuroki followed the first two people into the room.

"Akai-san, Aoiri-san," Sayuki said, eyes wide with surprise. "Did you come just to check on me?" The second person, Aoiri, nodded.

"These two are my sisters," Kuroki explained to Ryoma. "They're twins, in case you haven't noticed. But their personalities are as different as, say, Sayuki's personalities."

"I haven't seen you guys since third grade," Sayuki said. She and Akai chatted for a while to catch up on events. Kuroki and Aoiri were both shaking their heads at their sister's bubbliness and enthusiasm. Ryoma felt slightly out of place and decided to leave the room. He blinked as he found himself facing Daichi.

"How is she?" Daichi asked quietly, reluctant to be conversing with Ryoma. He had taken an unexplained disliking with Ryoma from the first time he laid eyes on him.

"She's fine," Ryoma answered. "Kokoro's sisters are visiting."

"Ah, Akai and Aoiri?" Suigo asked, appearing from behind Daichi. "I haven't seen them since forever!" He bounced into the room, followed by Kaze and Daichi. Ryoma entered his own room to start on his homework when he heard a loud crash coming from Sayuki's room.

"Are they having a freaking party in there!" he grumbled. He winced as he heard another crash. Sighing, he decided that until everyone left, he wouldn't be able to get any work done. Instead, he played a bit with Karupin, but Karupin fled when another crash took place. Muttering words under his breath, Ryoma entered Sayuki's room again, only to find his entire family, along with Suigo, Daichi, Kaze, Akai, Aoiri, and Kuroki in the room.

"Leave the sick alone and give everyone some peace and quiet," he muttered, shoving everyone out of the room. He glanced back at Sayuki, shocked when he found her close to fainting.

"Hey, are you OK?" he asked. She had seemed fine when he had been there before.

"Yeah.. thanks... Just need sleep..." Ryoma still looked worried, but decided that she really did just need some sleep and went back to his own room to finally start on some homework.

* * *

WOOT! You guys got to meet Kuroki's sisters~ And yes, Akai and Aoiri are based off my actual sisters.

~ Ryuu

_And they are very awesomeful indeed._

_So yeah... this story has so many OC's it's kind of hard to keep track of them all. _ I don't wanna spoil, but there's Sayuki, Kuroki, Kuroki's sisters, Kuroki's sisters' FIANCES, Kuroki's sisters' fiances' little brother, and Suigo, Daichi, and Kaze... Add that to Ryoma and Tezuka and the others, and you have a good twenty or so amount of people._

_Not easy keeping track. Not at all._

_Reviews/comments/questions/criticism?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	11. Chapter 11

__ 10 pages, 16 after spacing. A super long chapter by my standards, but it was really fun._

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

OMG! Some fluff action...sort of...=.='

~Ryuu

* * *

Sayuki woke up the next morning even worse than before.

"Suigo, what's wrong with her?" Kuroki demanded after school. Suigo shook his head.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "It might be that she just needs rest."

"Your partying yesterday didn't help any," Ryoma stated dryly. He placed a new set of notes on Sayuki's desk and left the room.

"There are so many things wrong," he said with a sigh as he entered his own room. "Sayuki is sick and the tennis team doesn't have any players worthy of being regulars. We're having the intra-school ranking matches soon..."

"About the tennis regulars," Kaze said, suddenly appearing at the doorway. "I think that Sayuki already knew about Seigaku's lack of good tennis players. That's probably why she told us to transfer here. All of us are around Sayuki's level of tennis, and she never calls us without a reason. The weekend before we transferred, Sayuki insisted that she played a game against us, which only adds to my suspicions. So I don't think you have to worry about the regulars."

"If we add you three, Momo-senpai, Kaidou-senpai, and myself, that's six players," Ryoma answered. "We're still short one."

"Oh, I think you guys can find at least one competent player," Daichi said, entering the room. "I expect at least that much from Seigaku." Ryoma narrowed his eyes.

"Right."

"Oh, really?" Momo said after Ryoma had just explained why Sayuki had called Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze to their school. "That helps a lot. We only have to find one more player..."

"We need a reserve too," Ryoma reminded him.

"Right, almost forgot. Two more players." Momo sipped at his water bottle. "We might have to talk to our senpai and see if they suggest anybody."

"Ah, we already got one player taken care of," Kaidou said, passing by. "Tezuka-senpai and I went with the coach to see the higher-ups, and they said that as long as no one finds out that she's a girl, Saiki is allowed to play in official matches." It took Momo and Ryoma to remember Sayuki's last name, and then the last sentence sunk in.

"Seriously?" Momo asked incredulously. "They really said that she could play?"

"And so we look for our reserve player," Ryoma muttered.

"And? What did you want to talk to me about?" Kuroki asked Tezuka as they stood outside class during lunch.

"That time, when you lost your temper because Saiki was injured," he began. Kuroki flinched as she remembered when she had gone Shinigami. "It was my fault that she got hurt."

"M, OK then," Kuroki said. "Was that all?" Tezuka nodded, and Kuroki walked away, only to turn abruptly and grab him by the shoulder.

"And why in the world did you not tell me this sooner?" she demanded. Tezuka calmly looked her in the eye.

"I knew you would react like this and I was contemplating whether it was worth it." Kuroki blinked, then let go of him, unexpectedly bursting into laughter.

"I take it back," she said, catching her breath. "You're not boring at all. See you in class," she said, walking away with a grin on her face.

"... Boring?"

"How's Sayuki doing?" Kuroki asked Ryoma. He shook his head.

"Not any better," he answered, tossing a ball to Momo, who was practicing his smashes. He had an idea, and asked, "Out of these people here, who do you think is the best?"

"Eh? In tennis?" Kuroki swept her eyes over the courts. She smiled, understanding. "You guys are looking for a reserve player, right? M, in that case..." She watched the second and third years then turned her eyes over to the first years.

"Oh, how about that kid?" she asked, pointing at a boy with short, messy dark green hair and forest green eyes. He was apparently a first year, because he was picking up balls, but he was obviously bored with his task. He was tossing three or four balls over his shoulder at one time, and without even a single glance back, they all went into the basket.

"Ah, that kid?" Momo asked, walking over. "That Oshima Furei, a first year. He's pretty talented in tennis, I hear." After watching the green-haired boy for a while, Momo went off to find Kaidou and ask him something.

"You know," Kuroki said to Ryoma, "I think it would be better if Sayuki was the reserve player. It's more likely for people to find out that she's a girl if she actually plays."

"That's true," he commented.

"No, I have other plans for Sayuki," Ryuzaki-sensei said, appearing behind the two. "If she is able to 'become' another person, then wouldn't she be perfect in Doubles?" Ryoma and Kuroki paused to consider it.

"Yes, she would be," Kuroki said slowly. "She would be able to cooperate with a person who usually plays Singles because she would be able to, in an indirect way, predict how her partner would hit and let them play accordingly."

"It's not a bad idea," Ryoma admitted. "So? Who's going to be playing with her?"

"You."

"... Me?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow. Kuroki snickered. She couldn't help it.

"Sorry, Ryuzaki-sensei, but even if it's someone like Sayuki, do you honestly think that this shorty here can play Doubles?" she said, amused. She rested her elbow on Ryoma just to show how short he was. He glared.

"Because it's someone like Sayuki," the sensei answered, "Otherwise Doubles would be out of the question."

"OK, so let's assume that this Doubles thing actually works," Kuroki said, waving a hand. "Hypothetically. But there's still the possibility that her real gender could be found out. She got away with it in America but that was because she was wearing a hat and she was going easy on her opponents. If Sayuki starts getting serious, her cap's going to get knocked off."

"If I were insensitive, I would simply tell her to cut off her hair," Ryuzaki-sensei said. "But since I'm not, I'll leave the solution up to her. Meanwhile, she needs to work on recovering. Then we'll figure out all the details." Kuroki shrugged.

"I have homework to do," she said. "If any of you guys need me, I'll be in the library."

"Your fever's gone down," Nanjirou said happily as he checked the thermometer. Ryoma stood next to him, bored and with nothing else to do. "You still look a bit red though. Do you want to skip school tomorrow?"

"No, I'm fine," Sayuki assured him. "I'll be better by tomorrow." She looked thoughtful. "I'm kinda interested in that first year you mentioned. What's he like?" Ryoma shrugged.

"Green hair, green eyes," he said simply. "His name was Oshima Furei or something like that." Sayuki tilted her head to the side.

"Oshima Furei... Oshima Furei... I've heard that name before... N?" Sayuki blinked as Ryoma dropped another packet of notes on her bed and left the room. She grinned.

"Thanks!" Ryoma rolled his eyes. Silently, he thought, _You're welcome._

"Heey, what do you know?" Kuroki grinned, pulling out a chair. Tezuka glanced up and did a very small double take.

"What were you doing here?" she asked.

"Homework."

"Same here." Kuroki pulled out her binders and flipped a few sheets of paper.

"Why do teachers assign so much homework?"

"To help us learn." Kuroki rolled her eyes.

"Do normal people seriously need ten pages of homework each night in every subject? I could live with maybe seven pages total and still get a passing grade."

"Perhaps."

"Jeez, you're not very talkative, are you?" Kuroki muttered into her palm as she glared at the math problems. "These are insanely easy."

"For you maybe." Kuroki snorted.

"You mean it isn't for you?"

No answer. Kuroki sighed, rolling her eyes, and finished up her math homework, moving onto English.

"Ummm... 'That that is, is. That that is not, is not. That that is, is not that that is not. That that is not, is not that that is. Is that not it? It is!' ... What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

"…"

"I don't suppose that you'll help me?"

"…"

"That's what I thought." Kuroki skipped the problem for the moment.

"'Bow your eyes and close your heads'... What!" Kuroki did a facepalm. "Our English teacher seems to enjoy torturing us with insane sentences."

"'During a prayer, join your eyes, bow your hands, and close your head.' Indeed, it does seem that way."

Kuroki blinked, surprised that she had actually gotten a reaction out of him. Maybe he wasn't completely antisocial after all.

"You know what, screw English," she muttered, closing the binder. "I'm moving onto something else. I'll get Sayuki to help me. That is, if she gets better," she added.

"Mm."

Kuroki rested her chin on the table as a grin slowly spread over her face. Even if the other party was extremely quiet, doing work with another person was way more fun than doing it by yourself. Kuroki would go to the library tomorrow.

And with any luck, Tezuka would be there too.

"Sayuki!" Kuroki ran up to Sayuki, gasping for air.

"Hey, Kuroki," Sayuki said, smiling.

"How's your fever?"

"Better. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Does the name Oshima Furei sound familiar?"

"Oh, the first year?" Kuroki tilted her head thoughtfully. "Yeah, it's been bugging me ever since I heard it."

"And what's bugging _me _is that we'll be late for school if we don't get a move on!" Momoshiro said irritably.

"Sorry, Momo-senpai," Sayuki said apologetically. "We're going now."

"Oh yeah, Ryo-Ryo, Sayuki, I need help with my English homework."

"Nn?" Ryoma glanced up from under his cap.

"Yeah, so what the hell does, 'During a prayer, join your eyes, bow your hands, and close your head,' mean?"

"..." Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged glances. And then they burst out laughing.

"Your English homework?" Sayuki asked, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah," Kuroki said, blinking as she pulled out her binder. They were halfway to school by now.

"Lemme see," Momoshiro said, staring at the sheet of paper. "Oh jeez, it really does say that."

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"So... We should 'join our eyes, bow our hands, and close our heads' while praying?" Kuroki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup."

"... Are you sure that you're not sick, Sayuki?"

"Yup."

"... Right..."

Ryoma and Sayuki's English teacher glared at them as they slept peacefully.

"Echizen! Saiki! Answer the next two problems!"

"Enn..." Sayuki blinked sleepily and dragged her feet over to the black board, holding her notebook loosely in her hand. Ryoma followed.

"So," she said in English.

"Yes?" Ryoma answered.

"How are we going to divide the board?"

"Eh?"

"I assume that you also wrote an essay for this problem?"

"Mhm. A thousand words or so."

"Yeah. Same here. So like I said: how are we going to divide the board?"

"In half, obviously. Just write really small."

"Kay..." Sayuki drew a neat line in the middle of the board and began writing at lighting speed, taking up half of her side of the board in half a minute. Ryoma was just as fast.

When they were done, there was hardly a black space left on the board. Their teacher blinked, rubbed his eyes, blinked again, and told them to sit down. And then the teacher began to attempt to read their answers, which was hard because he didn't know half the words.

Ryoma and Sayuki fell asleep again.

"Well, English class was a big pain in the neck," Kuroki said, groaning. The class had been just as strange as the homework problems.

"Nn." Tezuka did not feel inclined to answer.

"You gonna go visit Seigaku later?"

"Yes."

"I'm coming with you."

"Mm."

"Jeez, will you quit it with the one syllable answers?" Kuroki said, annoyed.

"…"

"And I don't mean switching to no syllable answers either."

"How's her fever?" Kuroki blinked, then realized he was talking about Sayuki.

"Better. She looked kinda red though. She might still be a little sick. I'm worried about her, so I'm gonna check on her during lunch."

"Uh huh." Kuroki rolled her eyes. Oh well. Two syllables was an improvement.

"Kuro, Kuro!" Sayuki said. "Do y'know where Suigo is?"

"I don't keep track of the three birds and frankly, I don't care." Kuroki stifled a yawn. "Is your fever gone?"

"Pretty much," Sayuki answered.

"So why were you looking for the trickster?"

"No reason, really." Kuroki rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, I've known you since forever. I know when you're lying."

"Really!" Sayuki smirked. "Well then, if you know me so well, then can't you guess why I'm looking for him?"

"You know, you're kind of a bitch when you're in your negative personality."

"Doesn't that make you the person who hangs out with a bitch?"

"... Yeah, I was right. You _are _a bitch when you're negative."

"Uh huh. And how far have you gotten?"

"With what?"

"Tezuka-senpai."

"Eh?" Sayuki burst out laughing at her friend's confusion.

"Seriously? I'm not telling you then."

"TELL ME!"

"NEVER!"

"Argh, I hate you!"

"No you don't."

"... OK, so maybe I don't. But anyways, do you remember who Oshima Furei is?"

"Um..."

"Yeah, neither have I." Kuroki sighed. "It's bothering me half dead."

"Oshima..." Sayuki looked thoughtful. "OH! Isn't he Akai-san and Aoiri-san's fiances' younger brother?"

"Now that you mention it..." The bell rang for lunch break to end. "Shoot! I'm late for class!"

"When did you care about whether you got to class on time?" Sayuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since I had a test."

"Oh. Bye then!" Sayuki waved as Kuroki ran off. Then she grinned.

"Or it could be since Tezuka-senpai was in your class."

"So." Eiji sat boredly with his chin on his desk and his pen balancing on his upper lip.

"So?" Oishi asked amusedly, reading a book.

"I'm bored. Nothing's happened recently except for the fact that Tezuka-buchou has gotten friendly with that Weasel Girl."

"And what do you want me to do about your boredom?" Oishi said, turning a page. He was used to Eiji's boredom rants by now.

"I wanna go bother Ochibi." Oishi sweat dropped. Eiji bolted up, pen clattering on the desk, as a grin spread over his face.

"And I just got a great idea!"

Oishi sweat dropped again.

"-"

"WHAT!"

"Can I come over to your house?" Eiji asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Huh?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but-"

"YES!" Eiji turned around abruptly and ran off. "SPONTANEOUS SLEEPOVER PARTY AT OCHIBI'S!"  
"... What the?"

"What the crap was that?" Sayuki asked as she approached Ryoma, jerking a thumb in Eiji's direction.

"No idea."

Three hours later, at precisely 6:30 PM, the entire group with their stuff showed up at the Echizens' front door. The entire group being the former and current Seigaku tennis teams, Kuroki, her sisters, their fiances, and Natsume and Kiyoshi. Eiji rang the door bell. Repeatedly.

"What the hell do you guys want?" The door opened, revealing a very irritated Sayuki, apparently either in a good mood in her "negative" personality or a bad mood in her "positive" personality.

"Didn't I say?" Eiji said cheerfully. "Spontaneous sleepover party!"

"Are you s-!" Ryoma appeared at the door. "You were serious about that?"

"Of course-nya!" Eiji pouted, sounding hurt that Ryoma didn't take him seriously. "I called up the Weasel Girl and she brought some of her friends over." Ryoma and Sayuki sweat dropped and exchanged glances.

"Sayu-neechan!" Furei came from the crowd and glomped Sayuki. Sweat dropping, Ryoma left to call his dad.

"Hey, back off," Daichi said irratably, pulling Furei off of Sayuki by the back of his collar.

"Yeah, back off," Raiden said cheerfully, jerking Daichi back by his shoulder. Kaze and Suigo instinctively stepped forward.

"C'mon Sayuki," Kuroki said, dragging Sayuki inside. "I'm going to pretend that I don't know those people." Sayuki blinked and grinned when she saw Ryoma walking back, looking somewhat gloomy.

"He said to let them in," he said, sighing. Sayuki and Kuroki sweat dropped, exchanging glances. When they opened the door, they saw that the majority of the group had gotten into arguments.

"Jeez, leave them for five seconds and they start fighting," Sayuki growled.

"I'll handle this," Kuroki said, grinning. "You two go back inside and decide how you're going to fit twenty one people in your house."

"Ay..." Sayuki sweat dropped.

"So... What are we gonna do?" Kyoden, stifling a yawn. Everyone, in their PJ's, had gathered in one room and was waiting for the fun to start. Kuroki grinned.

"Let's start with a game that everybody knows: Truth or Dare!" She glanced around. "Who wants to start?"

Silence.

"Well then, I'll start," Kuroki said mischievously. Everybody sweat dropped.

"I'm scared," Sayuki muttered.

"With good reason," Kiyoshi whispered back.

"I choose..." Kuroki sweeped the room with her eyes. "Hm..." Everyone sat anticipating who she would pick.

"RYOMA!" Kuroki yelled, jumping up and pointing her finger at his face. He sweat dropped.

"Truth or Dare?" Kuroki asked, grinning evilly.

"Uh... Dare..." Ryoma sweat dropped as Kuroki, Akai, and Aoiri exchanged evil looks.

"OK, come here for a sec," Kuroki said, dragging Ryoma away. Akai and Aoiri followed.

"Where are you guys going?" Sayuki asked curiously. The three girls turned around and said together:

"We're going to play dress up!"

Several minutes later, during which there were many yells of protest and noises of struggling, the four finally emerged. Everyone pretty much burst out laughing.

Cause Ryoma, the little arrogant tennis prince, had been forced into a light pink dress, had make-up, a wig, and a little bow on.

And the best part? He looked incredibly cute and Kuroki was holding a camera.

"Blackmail time!" Kuroki said cheerfully. From out of nowhere, Akai and Aoiri pulled out cameras as well and they began taking snapshots of girl-Ryoma.

"I dare you to stay like that for the rest of the day!" Kuroki grinned. Ryoma twitched and almost lost his jaw.

"You mean THAT was the dare!"

"Yup yup!"

"... You've gotta be kidding me."

"Nope, sorry! But since I feel a teensy bit sorry for you, you can do the next Truth or Dare." That cheered Ryoma up. Very, very slightly.

"Then... Kaidoh-senpai, Truth or Dare?" Ryoma grinned, a little bit of his cocky self coming back.

"... Truth..." After that, it was pretty obvious that no one was going to want to do Dare.

"What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?"

And now it was sure that Kaidoh was never going to pick Truth again. For the privacy of his mind, the answer shall not be mentioned. Just let it be known that everyone burst out laughing. Again.

"Momoshiro, Truth or Dare?"

"Erm..." Momo sweat dropped. If he chose Dare, he would definitely have to do something embarrassing. But if he chose Truth, Kaidoh might ask the question that Ryoma asked Kaidoh.

"Truth," he said finally.

"What was the stupidest thing you've done on your own free will?"

"Oh, that's easy," Momo said, relieved. "I've tried to eat five hundred hamburgers at once before. I got a stomachache on the seventy sixth and ran out of money by the one hundred and forty second." Everybody sweat dropped.

"No... But... Wouldn't normal people try for a hundred?" Daichi asked. "And most people stop when they have a stomachache..."

"Really?" Momo asked, blinking. "Ah well. My turn! Um... Kaze! Truth or Dare?" Kaze blinked.

"Dare," he answered immediately.

"I dare you to be my slave for a week." Kaze's only reaction was a shrug.

"Sure, whatever," he said, stifling a yawn. "Oshima, Truth or Dare?"

"Un... Dare!" he said excitedly.

"I dare you to let the girls paint your nails and toenails and to keep the paint on for a month." With his part done, Kaze went to sleep and Furei turned nervously to the girls. Who happened to look very, very evil at the moment.

Furei was almost in tears as he stared at his ridiculous nails. Of course, Furei was a bit of a crybaby so it wasn't that unusual to see him crying.

"Kiyoshi~" he whined. "Truth or Dare?" It seemed like he was trying to forget his nails by forcing another person to do something ridiculous.

"Double Dare with Natsume," Kiyoshi answered calmly.

"Um..." Furei looked thoughtful. "First dare... Sleep together."

"OK," they answered in unison, shrugging. "We sleep together anyways." Everybody sweat dropped, save for the people in their family and Sayuki, who were already aware of that.

"Furei, aren't you like their uncle or something?" Sayuki asked, sweat dropping. "You should already know that." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Second dare," Furei announced after some thought. "Sing the France national anthem. Backwards."

Reactions: Oo'l| WTF!

"Uh..." Natsume and Kiyoshi sweat dropped. "Backwards as in just the words, or the letters too?"

"Letters included," Furei said with a smirk. "Which would be dedulcni srettel backwards."

"Furei doesn't look like it, but he's a genius at converting anagrams," Kyoden and Raiden explained.

"By the way," Furei added, shooting a glare at his brothers for the 'he doesn't look like it' comment, "I just finished writing the lyrics for you." He handed the twins a piece of paper that he had been scribbling on for the past five minutes or so. The first verse ran something along the lines of:

!snollis son evuerbA  
rupmi gnas nu'uQ  
!snohcraM !snohcraM!  
!snolliatab sov zemroF  
!sneyotic, semra xuA

Natsume and Kiyoshi sweatdropped.

"How... the hell did you know the France national anthem in the first place?" Momo asked.

"Because I do," Furei shrugged. "So... any day now."

"'Emme see," Sayuki said, snatching the sheet. She sweatdropped as she attempted to pronounce the words. "Snollis son evurba, rupmi nas nuck... What the hell!"

After Natsume and Kiyoshi had finished their... singing of the song, they whispered to each other and decided who their victim would be.

On a slightly unrelated topic, you know how Tezuka's famous line is "Don't let your guard down,"? Well guess what.

HE LET HIS GUARD DOWN.

GASPS ALL AROUND.

That's right. Natsume and Kiyoshi chose the former Seigaku captain.

DUN DUN DUUUN~

Tezuka had chosen Truth and received the question: "If you could make anyone in the room your servant for the day, who would it be and what would you make them do?"

A very long silence.

Sayuki yawned and curled up like a dog, blinking sleepily. Kuroki was scribbling aimlessly on a piece of paper. Akai and Aoiri were examining their nails, while Kyoden and Raiden had started a staring contest. The Seigaku team was waiting to hear their captain's answer. Natsume and Kiyoshi simply watched.

"Any day now, Captain," Momo yawned finally.

"Since you were the first to speak, I would pick you," Tezuka said simply. Momo's jaw dropped and everyone burst out laughing.

"And as what I would make you do..." Tezuka gestured towards Kuroki and her sisters. "I would let them decide."

"... You can't be serious," Momo sweat dropped.

"Tezuka-kun is PURE EVIL!" Sayuki cackled. "I gotta hear this." Kuroki and her sisters huddled together to come up with ideas, with Sayuki listening on and giggling all the while.

At this time, Momo was going: D: 0.o...'l|

The ideas they came up with would not be appropriate and so will not be listed here. Let's just say that Momo was forever on Tezuka's good side and everyone in the room was mentally scarred with images that would be quite disturbing.

In any case, Tezuka then chose Kuroki.

"Dare," she yawned, boredly reading a book. Tezuka beckoned for Sayuki to come.

"Come up with a good one," he told her.

"Sweeeeeeeeet~" Sayuki grinned.

"... Oh shit," Kuroki sweat dropped.

"Lessee, lessee... I'll be right back. Ryoma-chan, where's your computer?" Sayuki called. Ryoma grumbled and led her to the nearest computer.

"I'm totally gonna get everyone to call him Ryoma-chan," Momo grinned.

"You and I think alike," Kuroki smirked.

There was silence and printing noises were heard. Kuroki sweat dropped.

"What the hell? What's she printing from the Internet?"

"I'm baaack~ OK, which one do you guys wanna make Kuro do?" Sayuki laughed as she leaped back into the room with five sheets of paper in her hand.

(Website Sayu got the dares from: .)

"MAKE HER DO THE LAST ONE!"

"You insane!" Sayuki shot back. "Kuroki holds grudges like you wouldn't believe! If you make her do a hard dare, you better be careful she doesn't choose you and get her revenge on you."

"Good point."

"OK, I got it," Sayuki said. "Pretend like you're in a Toyota commercial. Sing, 'I love what you do for me, TOYOTA!' and jump into the air."

"Well I suppose it could be MUCH worse," Kuroki sighed. "I swear, whoever laughs is gonna be my next victim."

"I love what you do for me, TOYOTA!"

The threat hanging in the air was the only thing that made everyone stifle their laughter.

"I'm gonna pass my turn onto Akai," Kuroki yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"'Night, Ku-chan!" Sayuki called. Kuroki waved and walked out.

"My target is..." Akai swept the room with her eyes. "Sayu-chan!"

"Dare," Sayuki replied instantly.

"OK, I dare you to go sit in Ryo-chan's lap till we all go to sleep!" she replied cheerfully. Sayuki sighed, got up, and plopped herself down in Ryoma's lap.

"Aw, that's so cute," Raiden grinned. "Two little sadistic kids."

"How the hell am I going to walk around?" Sayuki sweat dropped.

"I'll let you stand as long as you hold his hand the whole time," Akai said. "There's always compromise, isn't there?'

"Yeah, OK," Sayuki said, rolling her eyes. "I'm tired of this. Let's play Spin the Bottle. I'm gonna go call Kaze and Kuroki back. Where the hell are they sleeping anyways..." She dragged Ryoma out of the room.

"What bottle are we gonna spin?" Daichi asked.

"Hand me that 2 liter bottle of Sprite," Suigo replied.

"But it's still full."

"Just do it!" Suigo twisted the cap off, took a deep breath, and chugged the entire bottle down, letting out a loud belch at the end.

"There you go," he sighed, handing the bottle back to Daichi. He sweat dropped, taking it from Suigo.

"I forgot you could do that."

Suigo simply stuck his tongue out. Sayuki returned with Ryoma and Kuroki.

"Where's Kaze?"

"He's being lazy and he doesn't wanna get up," Sayuki answered, rolling her eyes. "OK, everyone in a circle, bottle in the middle. You have to kiss whoever the bottle points to. Leave a space for Kaze in case he comes." The group gathered into a large circle, and Daichi placed the bottle in the middle.

"I'll start," Sayuki said. She flicked the bottle with her finger.

Round and round goes the big green Sprite bottle!

Everyone was so transfixed the the spinning of the bottle that no one heard the voices outside, no one saw the doorknob turning.

The door opened.

The bottle slowed.

It stopped.

"Aniki-" Yuuta froze in the doorway as everyone automatically pointed their eyes at him. He blinked and stared at the bottle pointing at him.

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Yuuta-kun, come over here," Sayuki said, waving him over. He walked over to her side. She reached up and pecked him on the cheek. He blinked, and a blush spread over his face as his brain registered what just happened.

"What the-!" he sputtered.

"You called, Yuuta?" Fuji interrupted. Yuuta calmed down immediately.

"Er, yeah," he replied. "Sis... ARGH! Sis was in a car accident!" he yelled, suddenly becoming frantic. "I heard that she's in the hospital now."

"Eh!" Fuji got up immediately. He looked apologetically at everyone. "Sorry everyone, but..."

"Yeah, we got it," Sayuki said, shooing them away. "GO!" The brothers exchanged glances and got out of there very quickly.

"Well that kinda ruined the mood," Kuroki sighed. "Lets just go to sleep now." Everyone murmured their agreement and they got up and retreated to Ryoma's room (if they were a boy) and Sayuki's room (if they were a girl). The guys who couldn't be crammed into Ryoma's room were forced to sleep in his father's room.

"Whoa, it's 3:00 AM already?" Eiji yawned as he slipped into his sleeping bag. "Wonder when Fuji's coming back..."

Fuji didn't come back that night.

* * *

_Yeah, lil' Ryoma has a semi-rival who's totally clueless! Also known as Yuuta. :3 I like Yuuta, he's awesome._

_And yeah, this is the beginning of Kuroki and Tezuka. :3 They're so funny together, considering how different they are._

_And don't worry, nothing's happened to Fuji. He just won't be around for the fun._

_Thanks for reading, and check out our other stories? :3_

_Reviews/comments/questions/suggestions/criticism? (I swear, this list of insert/thing/here gets longer every time...)_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

The romance is just gettin' started, ya'll!

~Ryuu


	12. Chapter 12

_Continuing on with the sleepover, the sleeping peacefully part may be the hardest, especially when you have an evil and plotting Sayuki and her partner Kuroki in the house... ;3_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"Kuroki, I can't sleep..." Sayuki sat up, Indian-style, on her bed.

"What's up?" Kuroki yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm bored."

Kuroki sweat dropped.

"Go to sleep already," she muttered, turning over on her side. Sayuki stayed awake, thinking. A grin spread over her face.

"Hey, Kuroki."

"What!"

"Wake Aori, Akai, and Natsume. I have an idea."

"Fine..."

"Oh yeah, bring your makeup and stuff too. And a camera. And some markers."

"What for?" Kuroki asked, waking her sisters. Sayuki grinned evilly.

"We're going to the guys' rooms."

Kuroki blinked, then understood. She smirked.

"Oh Sayuki, you little evil girl."

* * *

Ryoma couldn't sleep. He was busy thinking. And trying to find where Momo had hid pictures of him when he was dressed as a girl. He finally gave up and sat on the edge of his bed with a sigh, glancing at his hands.

Back when Sayuki had sat in his lap... A nearly uncontrollable urge to hug her had come over him. That was not natural. That was not natural AT ALL for Ryoma.

And then, just as he was about to wrap his arms around her, Yuuta had burst in. Ryoma was so pissed off at the sight of Sayuki kissing Yuuta that he was amazed that he hadn't broken Yuuta's face right then and there.

And he STILL didn't know WHY all of that was happening.

Ryoma glanced up as he heard the door creak open. He sweat dropped as he saw the girls creeping in.

"What the heck are you guys doing?"

"... Crap, busted already?" Kuroki laughed quietly. Her voice was almost drowned out by the snores.

"Nah, Ryo-_chan_ isn't gonna rat us out," Akai smirked. "Especially when we have his girl pictures."

"Whatever, I wasn't gonna say anything anyways," he answered, rolling his eyes. "Just one request."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Sayuki grinned. He glanced at what they were holding.

"Spare me. And also, can I join in on the fun?"

"That's two requests," Natsume correctly quietly. Sayuki's grin grew.

"And I say yes to both. OK, split the materials. Akai, Aoiri, and Natsume are going to Nanjiro-san's room, and Kuroki, Ryoma, and I will work here."

"This is gonna be so fun," Kuroki snickered as they divided the stuff.

"Don't I know it," Sayuki replied with an equally evil giggle.

* * *

6:00 AM, Kaidoh woke up to take his morning jog. Still half asleep, it took him a moment to remember where he was, and several bleary-eyed blinks trying to find the bathroom. He took a look in the mirror and screamed. At least it was a manly scream, unlike his face.

6:05 AM, half the household woke up to a scream. Ryoma and the girls had been lying awake for an hour waiting for this to happen, and they broke out into uncontrollable laughter when they hear Kaidoh's horrified cry.

"Oh man, Fuji-senpai seems to be the type that never gets involved with this kinda stuff," Sayuki giggled, wiping away a tear. "I wish he could've stayed, his reaction would have been priceless."

"Hiding cameras in there and setting them so that they took a picture every seconds was a good idea," Akai laughed. "Now we can get all their faces when they wake up."

At that precise moment, which would be 6:07 AM, those who had woken up either screamed in horror or surprise. Not that anyone could blame them. It certainly was a "WTF!" moment.

For the troublemakers had not only drawn on their faces, they had also strategically placed the boys in awkward or uncomfortable positions. After giving them animal ears. For instance, Inui, who was donning a pair of deer antlers and ears, was placed EXTREMELY close to Tezuka, who was wearing... cat ears. The others were in similar predicaments.

All the while, the cameras were snapping away.

6:15 AM, those who had woken up from Kaidoh's yell, and Kaidoh himself, immediately knew who to suspect. They stormed to Sayuki's room, demanding an explanation. They hadn't expected to see the girls sleeping, and they certainly didn't expect to see Ryoma there.

"The little... What the _hell _is he doing in the GIRLS' room!"

6:17 AM, they realized that Sayuki and Ryoma were holding hands and figured that they were just doing the dare that had been given to them the previous night. They had hunted for a camera to take a picture of this cute moment, but all the cameras in the household had mysteriously disappeared.

6:23 AM, the boys that had woken up decided to leave the sleeping boys as they were. Misery does love its company after all. They washed their faces, threw the animal ears into Sayuki's room, and went downstairs.

6:26 AM, the girls and Ryoma "woke up" snickering.

"Can't believe they fell for it," Aori laughed.

"They certainly are slow," Natsume commented.

"Or stupid," Sayuki added.

"Hn," Ryoma said. "Now we just have to wait for the others to wake up."

"I suppose those are the heavy sleepers?" Kuroki asked. "They won't wake up for a while I guess. So we'll just have to help them..." An evil smirk spread over her face.

6:37 AM, Momo finally woke up after the troublemakers had chucked a pillow, several CD cases, a book, the animal ears that the boys were no longer wearing, a (hidden) camera, seven of Sayuki's stuffed animals, and somebody's toothbrush at him.

6:38, Momo screamed.

6:40, the story was repeating itself. Others woke up, yelled, ran to Sayuki's room, left after searching for a camera, and went downstairs for breakfast. After cleaning themselves up of course.

7:17 AM, the causes of all the screaming finally stopped laughing and headed downstairs where those already occupying the area immediately turned to glare at them.

"Hi," Sayuki said cheerfully. "How was your morning?"

Ryoma was positively amazed that she was able to contain her laughter. He couldn't help but smirk, which earned him several glares.

But his smirk was quickly forgotten, because the next moment, the twins, who had been trying to swallow their giggles, burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"SO, what's all this about?" Nanjirou asked, raising an eyebrow. Normally he'd be laughing his butt off with the rest of them, but he WAS the man of the house, and as such supposed to be the mature voice of reason at times like this.

It didn't help that the other girls had joined in on the giggling, and even Ryoma was laughing. The laughter, as it often is in large groups, became contagious and Nanjirou found himself snickering as well once Sayuki managed to gasp out the explanation. It sounded something like this:

"So... *giggle* I couldn't sleep... *giggle* And I was *laughter* really bored, see? *snickers* Hehe, so I *laugh* decided to *giggle* play a joke *snicker* on the boys..." She waved her hand for someone else to continue, clutching her stomach as she burst out into laughing, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Ryoma finished the explanation for her, with considerably less laughter.

"So *snicker* you..." Nanjirou couldn't even finish his sentence for all his laughter. Eventually, the boys gave in and joined the giggles. After all, how does the old saying go? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

"... Hey, Ryoma-kun, do we have school today?" Sayuki asked after finally calming down.

"…"

8:10 AM, everyone left the house, running like their lives depended on it. The house looked like a tornado had just passed through.

"If you guys hadn't done that, we wouldn't be late!" Furei hissed.

"Mmff, f nyuu ffdn't-" Sayuki protested.

"FINISH THAT PIECE OF BREAD FIRST!" Furei sweat dropped. "No one can understand you!"

"Actually, she was saying, 'Well, if you hadn't-' before you interrupted her," Kuroki commented. "Anyways, there's my school, see y'all later."

"Jesus Christ, just shut up and run!" Momo yelled, sprinting the last few yards.

"WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!"

"Says who?" Sayuki laughed, diving through the closing gate.

"UWOOOH!"

The rest of the group made it in after her. Barely.

"You kids are insane!" the man closing the gate yelled. They didn't hear him, already up and running again.

Sayuki and Ryoma skidded to a halt in front of their class's door, slamming the door open. The two leaned against the door, panting.

"Did... we make it?" Sayuki gasped. Ryoma didn't answer, but glanced inside the room. All the other students were in there, alarmed at their sudden arrival.

The teacher wasn't there.

"Thank God," Sayuki sighed, stepping inside.

"You might want to come earlier next time." Sayuki jumped and Ryoma turned around, surprised. Their teacher was laughing at them. Laughing _very _hard.

I suppose the sight of two very sadistic teenagers out of breath from running to their class in order to not be late _would _be pretty funny.

If it had been anyone other than their teacher, Sayuki would have flipped him off. But she settled for rolling her eyes and taking her seat. Sakuno looked at her weirdly, then turned her attention to the teacher.

Lunch came, along with Kuroki and Tomo.

"Did you and R-ryoma-kun always come to school together?" Sakuno asked shyly, stuttering out the name. Sayuki winced.

_Shoot, I forgot about his warning about getting too close, _she grumbled to herself. _I didn't know that Sakuno was one of his fangirls, but what did I expect?_

"Eh, we just kinda met on the way," Sayuki lied quickly. "I didn't know we took the same path till today." With a shrug, she began devouring her lunch, hoping Sakuno would forget about it. Besides, she had one piece of bread for breakfast; she was hungry.

Sakuno took the hint and began chatting with Tomo about something. Kuroki, being a fast eater, had already finished and was playing with Kakura.

Somewhere along the way, Sakuno probably mentioned to Tomo about Sayuki and Ryoma arriving at the same time this morning. Being much more outgoing and suspicious, Tomo immediately suspected that something was going on.

"Ne, Sayuki-chan?" Tomo asked sweetly. "Sakuno and I were planning a study group for the test tomorrow. Can we come over to your house?"

Sayuki froze.

Her house was Ryoma's house.

_Troublesome fangirls, _Sayuki thought to herself. _Always so damn obsessive and suspicious. Though she's right this time..._

"En..." Sayuki, for once, was completely stumped as to what she would say. Tomo seemed to be torn between being smug with triumph, depressed with the realization that Ryoma had a girl, or furious that Sayuki had taken him from her.

"If that's the case, you could come to my house," Ryoma put in suddenly, walking over. Sakuno's eyes widened, Sayuki nearly breathed a sigh of relief, and Tomo looked shocked. Kuroki just snickered to herself.

_Thank you, Ryoma-kun, _Sayuki thought. _Then again, this is his problem too._

"Eh- Uh- No, we wouldn't want to-" Sakuno stuttered.

"Well, since you were kind enough to offer," Tomo cut in. "We'll come by around 4:00?"

"Sure," Ryoma answered, looking completely disinterested. "Ah, Momo-senpai might be there."

"Oh, that's fine with us," Tomo smiled sweetly. Ryoma resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Fangirls._

"I'm going too," Kuroki murmured quietly.

"Why?" Tomo asked.

"Because Sayuki's there."

Tomo sweat dropped and half wondered if Kuroki was lesbian or Sayuki's mom.

* * *

"You guys need to come and pick up your stuff," Ryoma said once he arrived at the tennis courts. "_Now_."

"Why?" Momo asked, wiping his sweat with a towel. "What's up?"

Sayuki quickly explained that Tomo and Sakuno were coming over.

"Ah-ah," Momo said, shaking his head. "How do you guys always get into trouble." They shrugged.

"Kuroki can come early and pick up her sisters' and the kids' stuff," Sayuki said. "But the rest of you need to hurry. They're coming at 4:00."

"Aw, couldn't you have told them 4:30?" Momo whined. "Anyways, Kaidoh has to stay cause he's the captain, but I can go at the end of training and pick up our stuff. Who else is left?"

"So that's Kuroki, her sisters, her sisters' fiances, the kids, Momo-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai..." Sayuki trailed off, trying to remember everyone. "Also, Suigo, Daichi, and Kaze are already there and they're getting Furei's stuff... Kuroki is getting the other senpai's... I think we got everyone."

"Yup, Tezuka and the rest got their stuff, and I got the things I was supposed to get," Kuroki commented, appearing next to Sayuki. "Oh yeah, I got your stuff too," she added to Momo and Kaidoh. "I'll leave 'em here." She dropped two of the bags she was carrying. "I gotta go give this stuff to Akai and the others." She left, leaving the others sweat dropping.

"Came and left in a single minute," Kaidoh muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm gonna go find Daichi and the rest," Sayuki said. "After that I'm gonna get Kuroki. We'll be at the house by 4:00." Ryoma nodded and stepped onto the courts.

"Friendly match, anyone?" Ryoma grinned.

* * *

At precisely 4:00, Sakuno and Tomo found themselves standing in front of Ryoma's front door. They had been picking out their clothes for the past hour, and Tomo was confident that they couldn't look any better. Sakuno being too shy, Tomo was the one to knock on the door.

"Hai! Just a minute!" they heard a female voice call. They exchanged glances. It wasn't Sayuki's voice, so it had to be his mom. Except the lady that came out seemed too young to be his mother.

"Oh! You must be the kids that Ryoma-kun said was coming," Rinko said. "I'm Rinko. I'm just staying here at the Echizens' home." Sakuno and Tomo nearly sighed with relief. So this woman wasn't Ryoma's girlfriend, though Sakuno doubted that Ryoma would date a woman with such a large age difference.

"Ano," Tomo said sweetly as they stepped inside. "Have Sayuki-chan or Kuroki-chan come yet?"

"You two were the first to arrive," Rinko answered. "Ryoma-kun is upstairs in his room. It'll be the first door you see on the left." The two thanked her and made their way up. They knocked politely, heard his call of consent, and cautiously entered the room, trying to look at everything without seeming intrusive and impolite. They found Ryoma sitting on his bed, reading a book but looking very bored.

"H-hello, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said shyly.

"How are you, Ryoma-sama?" Tomo asked.

"Hn," he responded, getting up and putting the book away. "... What subject were we studying again?"

"Er..." Tomo sweat dropped. She had forgotten to bring her books and didn't remember what the test was on. But Sakuno, being more cautious, remembered.

"We have two tests, actually," she said quietly, feeling proud of herself. "One in math and the other in English."

_Oh joy, _Ryoma thought to himself, feeling an urge to roll his eyes. _English. _They heard the doorbell and someone entering.

"That must be the other two," Tomo muttered to herself. Out loud, she said, "I'll go get them." She headed downstairs and nearly ran into Sayuki, who was going the opposite direction.

"Oh! Hey, Tomo-chan," Sayuki grinned. Kuroki poked her head from behind Sayuki and stared at Tomo.

"What?" Tomo asked, sweat dropping as Kuroki continued to stare at her.

"You're blocking our way."

"Oh, right," she murmured, turning around and walking back up.

"Hey, 'sup," Sayuki announced as they entered Ryoma's room. Sakuno greeted them and Ryoma simply "Hn'nd" again.

And so the study session began. It didn't turn out to be much more than a study session, much to Tomo's disappointment. But as it turned out, she was the one who needed to study the most so she just ended up gratefully taking the opportunity to study. As for Sayuki and Ryoma, they were all set for English and Sayuki only needed a little bit of help in math. Sakuno was too nervous and shy to get anything done, but she managed to get through without a nervous breakdown. Kuroki... well, she just hung around and bugged people. Kakura came in during the middle and freaked Tomo and Sakuno out, but that quickly settled down as well.

"Gonna go to the bathroom," Sayuki said, standing up. They had been there for about an hour and she was bored out of her mind.

"Turn left, it's the room one away from this one," Ryoma said automatically, not looking up from his paper. It actually wasn't his paper; it was Tomo's. She needed help in English but was too happy at being near "Ryoma-sama" to concentrate. Which frustrated Ryoma greatly cause he had to repeat everything at least three times.

When Sayuki got back, Kakura was running around like crazy because Tomo had stepped on her tail when Kakura had plopped herself down on Tomo's paper. And so, naturally, Sayuki tripped over Kakura. And landed on a pencil. And a pair of scissors randomly lying around. So Sayuki started bleeding.

And then Tomo and Sakuno started freaking out because of the blood, and Kuroki started freaking out because Sayuki was hurt. Kuroki was _this _close to going Shinigami on everyone's asses. Kakura just stared at the humans like freaks and Sayuki and Ryoma sweat dropped at the people freaking out.

Here is what it sounded like:

*door opens*

"Hey guys I'm ba- HOLY SH-!" *Sayuki walks in, trips over Kakura*

"OMG SHE'S BLEEDING!"

"S-sayuki-chan, are you alright! That looks really serious!"

"..." *Kuroki almost goes Shinigami*

"Calm down, it's just some blood." *Ryoma tries to calm Kuroki down before she destroys his room*

*Sayuki sweat drops*

"OMG SHE'S STILL BLEEDING!"

"Do you need to wash that out?" *Sakuno is freaking out in her own little way*

"..." *Kuroki tries to calm down*

*Kakura stares at the people like they're idiots*

*Sayuki and Ryoma sweat drop*

"OMG SHE'S _STILL _BLEEDING! SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

"An AMBULANCE!" *Sakuno promptly begins freaking out* "It's that bad!"

"SOMEBODY CALL 911!" *Tomo is still screaming*

"SHADDUP YOU'RE HURTING MY EARS!" *Kuroki yells*

*silence*

*Kakura stares*

"OK, so where are you bleeding?" Ryoma asked. Sayuki sweat dropped and pointed at her bloody forehead.

"Where does it look like?"

"You two go get some wet towels and bandages from the bathroom," Ryoma told Sakuno and Tomo. They took off, glad for any excuse not to look at the bloody scene anymore. Kuroki went downstairs to grab a water bottle. Her throat was sore from yelling. Kakura made a apologetic purring noise.

"It's OK Kura," Sayuki smiled.. "I should've seen you."

"You should've seen your face when you saw her," Ryoma snickered.

"Shaddup, don't make fun of an injured person." Ryoma shrugged and began cleaning the scissors.

"Why the hell do you have those lying around anyways?" Sayuki asked. "They're a health hazard, as I've just demonstrated."

"Klutz."

"Hey, what did I say about making fun of injured people!" Tomo and Sakuno entered with the towels and bandages, grabbed their books, and went downstairs saying that they'd study down there.

"Thank you very much for volunteering to help clean up," Kuroki muttered, rolling her eyes at them as she entered. "I'll clean up here and head downstairs with them. I dunno how long I can stare at that huge wound without going Death God on all of ya."

"Then don't stare," Sayuki pointed out matter-of-factly. They cleaned up the blood before it got into the carpet and Kuroki went downstairs as Ryoma treated Sayuki's wound.

"Ow," Sayuki muttered as Ryoma pressed a towel against her forehead.

"Ow. Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow ow owowowowowowowowowowow OW!" She winced as Ryoma pressed harder.

"Shut up and deal with it," Ryoma said simply, getting a new towel. He tossed the blood-soaked on on his desk. "You didn't yell when you actually fell."

"That's cause..."

"Because?"

"Never mind," Sayuki sighed, bracing herself for the pain.

"DAMMIT! OW, THAT HURT!"

Tomo and Sakuno sweat dropped.

"What are they doing?" Tomo wondered suspiciously.

"If that bastard does anything to Sayuki..." Kuroki trailed off threateningly. Sakuno sweat dropped.

"I would doubt that..."

Several minutes later, the two came downstairs. Sayuki was glaring angrily at Ryoma, who was looking rather amused.

"Did you have to do it so hard?" Sayuki demanded.

"Nobody told you to yell in pain," Ryoma answered.

What Sayuki said scared Sakuno, freaked out Tomo, and pissed off Kuroki.

"Hold your goddamn horses and answer me one thing," Kuroki interrupted. "What the HELL were you guys doing up there?" Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged confused looks, stared at Kuroki, and understood what she thought they had been doing. And then they burst out laughing.

"Well I guess you guys will never know," Ryoma smirked. Sayuki raised an eyebrow and he gave her a look that said, _Just play along and watch them freak out._

And freak out they did indeed.

"C'mon guys, lets get some actual studying done," Sayuki grinned, adjusting the bandages on her forehead.

* * *

_Haha... If you didn't get that last little bit, then nevermind. Just think about that dialogue. And think of it occurring between two newly weds or something. Pretend like Sayuki never got injured and think about what situation those exact words would apply to. Yeah... ._

_Yeah, lots of little things in here. This was a fun chapter. :3_

_Reviews/comments/blah blah blah... Criticism, whatever._

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	13. Chapter 13

_Oh God, this chapter was such a pain to edit... _ Because... Well, you know how the words don't appear if it'sreallylongandrunon like that? Yeah... That happens a LOT in this chapter... so be forewarned._

_Also, hyper Sayuki causes mayhem._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

Sakuno, Sayuki, and Ryoma aced the tests. Tomo got a pretty good score, and Kuroki... well, Kuroki didn't really gain anything from the study session. Tomo and Sakuno no longer suspected that Sayuki had a relationship with Ryoma.

"Yo! You two are late!" Momo called as Sayuki and Ryoma entered the tennis courts.

"Sorry, Momo-senpai," Sayuki answered. "Suigo decided to play a little prank. Are Daichi and Kaze here already?"

"Yup," Daichi's voice replied from behind Sayuki. He patted her on the head. "Still haven't gotten your growth spurt yet?"

"Shaddup," Sayuki growled. "I could kick your butt in tennis if I wanted to."

"Bring it," Daichi teased. With that, the two went to play a match against each other. Ryoma felt slightly lonely without Sayuki. She had been hanging out with him a lot lately.

Ryoma started when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"A game?" Kaze asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryoma shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

Suigo arrived even later and ended up being paired with Furei.

"I'll go easy on you," Suigo smirked. "Promise."

"You'll regret it," Furei called back.

"Are they improving?" Kuroki asked, suddenly appearing. Momo was startled and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh, it's you," he said, turning his gaze back to the courts. "Yeah, they're doing pretty good. I'm still not sure how we're gonna get Sayuki on the team without revealing her gender though."

"Is that all?"

"Why're you asking?"

"Tezuka-kun asked me to check up on you guys."

"Why didn't he send someone else?" Kaidoh asked, grabbing a towel to wipe off his sweat. Kuroki shrugged.

"I was planning to come see Sayuki anyways and I was the only one who was free, I guess," she answered. Momo sweat dropped.

"Aren't you always free?"

"Pretty much."

"Kuroki! What's up?" Sayuki called as she came running towards them.

"Nothing much," Kuroki answered. "Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"You could help out a bit if you have nothing else to do," Kaidoh said, going back to training.

"That is a good idea," Ryuzaki-sensei said as she came inside the courts. "Do you mind helping us train?"

"Sure," Kuroki answered. "C'mon Sayuki, who do you think needs the most help?"

"I need to speak with Sayuki for a moment," the coach said. Kuroki and Sayuki exchanged looks and shrugged. After about thirty seconds of exchanged words, Sayuki returned looking like absolutely nothing had happened.

"What was that all about?" Kuroki asked. Sayuki shrugged.

"Nothing much. Quick match?"

* * *

When they got home, Sayuki locked herself in her room as soon as they finished dinner, telling everyone to keep far, far away from her room. The others decided that she was in 'negative' mode and needed to cool down, so they obeyed.

Inside her room, Sayuki sat sweat dropping at her reflection.

"Shoot. I think I overdid it."

"Sayuki, I need to borrow your eraser again," Ryoma said, knocking on the door.

"Get your own already," she yelled back. "The door's unlocked now!" The door opened and Ryoma stared at her.

"What the..."

* * *

"Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up-" Sayuki burst into Ryoma's room and pounced on his bed, bouncing up and down with every time she yelled, "Get up!"

"Five more minutes..." Ryoma turned over and covered his ears with the pillow. Annoyed, Sayuki wrenched the pillow from his arms and began bashing him with it.

"GET UP!" Ryoma groaned and glared at his alarm clock.

"God woman, it's 5:00 in the morning on a Saturday... What could you possibly want from me?" He rolled over and looked at her, appearing startled before remembering something.

"Oh yeah... You cut your hair yesterday with the scissors you stabbed your forehead with," he muttered. "Gotta get used to you with short hair." Sayuki stuck out her tongue.

Her black hair was now slightly shorter than Ryoma's, and the hair that was no longer attached to her head was stashed away somewhere in a drawer. Sayuki had explained to Ryoma's surprised face that Ryuzaki-sensei had suggested that she cut her hair in order to hide her gender during matches.

"And I cut it myself cause hair cuts cost money," Sayuki had said.

Anyways, back to Sayuki bugging Ryoma at 5:00 one Saturday morning.

"Yeah, so anyways," Sayuki said, taking a deep breath. "Nanjirousanwantsyouto comewithmecausemyracket's stringsbrokeyesterday duringmymatchwithKurokiandI needto  
gogetnewstrings andIdon'tknowwhereanyofthestores aresohewantsyoutoshowmearound alsoKurokiwantstocomewith us tomakesurethatyoudon'tdo causethat'swhatshetoldmeoverthe phoneafewminutes ago anywayswehavetobereadyina coupleofminutescauseKuroki's comingsoonandshehatesit whenpeoplearelate andI thinkthatKurothinks we'regoingonadatewhichis stupidcausewe'rejustgonna getmyracketfixedand goaroundtownabit."

"... WHAT?"

"Nanjirou-san wants you to come with me to go get my racket's strings restrung."

"Oh... OK. Lemme go get changed. See ya downstairs."

"Kay~" Sayuki bounced off his bed and skipped to his door.

"Did you really need to get me at 5:00 in the morning though?" She paused and turned around with a grin.

"Well ya cause Kuroki's coming with us and she told me that she'd be here in three minutes. She hates it when people are late so you better be quick." With that, Sayuki bounded downstairs. Ryoma blinked, scratched his head, and began getting ready for the day.

Kuroki was downstairs in the kitchen, staring at Sayuki who was running her mouth with amazing speed and showed no signs of stopping. Kuroki looked up as Ryoma entered the room, but Sayuki just kept on talking.

"YeahsoanywaysasIwas sayingwe'regoingtogo getmyracketfixed right?That'sgreatcause Ifeltlikegoing aroundtown anywayssinceIhaven'treally beenabletogoanywhere sinceIcamefromAmerica. Alsomostofthetime Ispentherewas Iwannaspend sometimewithsomeother peopletooyouknow? OhheyRyoma-kunisfinallydownit'sabouttime IthoughtItoldyou  
thatKurokidoesn'tlike waitingforpeople. Anyways-"

"What the HELL happened to her hair!" Kuroki hissed at Ryoma. "It's freaking shorter than YOURS now!"

"The coach suggested that she cut her hair so that people won't notice that she's a girl," Ryoma answered calmly, opening the fridge. "She accidentally cut too much."

"And what the fuck did you give her for breakfast?" Kuroki demanded. "She's obviously hyper! How much sugar and caffeine did she have this morning!"

"How should I know?" Ryoma grumbled irritably. "I was the one who woke up at 5:00 AM this morning cause she was jumping on my bed and hitting me with a pillow while speaking at seven hundred words per minute!"

"Heyguyswhatchatalkingabout? Heyareyouguysignoringme? That'snotniceatall. Whenarewegonnaleave anyways? CauseRyoma-kunhasnthadbreakfastyetand Idon'tthinkthatshopswillbeopen thisearlyinthemorning andKuroki probablyhasn'teatenyeteither. Theracketplaceprobablyisn'topeneitherso whatarewegonnadotoday?"

"WHAT!" Kuroki and Ryoma yelled at her. Kuroki was pissed because Sayuki was hyper and Kuroki couldn't understand a word she was saying, while Ryoma was simply grumpy because he was tired and the endless rambling was giving him a headache.

Sayuki amazingly managed to shut up.

Kuroki sighed and asked her, "What did you have for breakfast today?"

"Wellsincenobodywas awakeyetIthoughthatI wouldmake-"

"SLOW DOWN."

"Coffee and cookies."

"... Are you serious," Kuroki grumbled in monotone. "We have to go shopping. With a hyper Sayuki. That, my good friend, is a terrible idea if I've ever heard one."

"Can't we wait till she gets... less hyper?" Ryoma asked.

"When Sayuki gets caffeine and sugar, she gets hyper and stays hyper."

"... How long?"

"The whole day. If you're lucky."

While this fascinating exchange of many words was going on, Sayuki continued to ramble in the background, completely oblivious to the fact that she was being ignored.

"I have a question and I'm somewhat scared to know the answer," Ryoma said. "What's her 'negative' side like when she's hyper?"

"... You don't wanna know. Anyways, YOU LET HER CUT HER HAIR!" Kuroki yelled at him.

"Slow reaction much?" Ryoma muttered. "None of us knew she was cutting her hair until I went to her room to borrow an eraser."

"Heyguys?Guysguysguysguysguysguys-"

"Again? Seriously, get your own already," Kuroki grunted. "So you couldn't do anything about it?"

"Guysguysguysguysguysguys-"

"Yeah," Ryoma answered, setting his breakfast on the table. "If you want to blame someone for it, blame the coach. No, blame the one who cut her own hair."

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Kuroki and Ryoma snapped, whirling around to face the hyper girl.

"Myheadhurts."

"I would assume that you just said that your head hurts," Kuroki muttered. "Stupid sugar..."

"Wellyeah. Soareyouguysgoingto dosomethingaboutmy headorwhat?"

"Time to get new bandages," Ryoma sighed, getting up. It was kinda weird, but he could actually understand her sped up talking somewhat now that he tried.

When Ryoma came back to the room, he found Kuroki helping herself to his breakfast. He sweat dropped.

"That's mine you know," he grunted, removing Sayuki's old bandages. He applied some medicine and began rewrapping the wound.

"Yeah, well too bad," Kuroki answered with her mouth half-full. Ryoma sighed again and went back to the fridge.

"CanIhaveacookie?"

"NO!" Kuroki and Ryoma yelled.

"Is she always like this after sugar and caffeine?" Ryoma asked tiredly, bringing his breakfast to the table. Again.

"Only after a certain amount, but yes," Kuroki grunted. "It's the only time when I can't handle her. Daichi also goes nuts when she's like this, but Suigo thinks it's a riot."

"And Kaze?" Ryoma asked, taking a bite.

"He doesn't care, as usual," Kuroki answered. "Out of the three of them, I like him the best just cause he doesn't care about anything."

"Except Sayuki."

"But he has more of a brotherly relationship with her, ya know?" Kuroki said, gulping down some milk. A smirk found its way to her face. "What, you jealous?" Ryoma opened his mouth to deny it, but he spied Sayuki raiding the cookie jar at the corner of her eye.

"Get away from those!" Ryoma jumped up and grabbed the jar away from her, holding it high above his head where she couldn't reach it. She still tried to snatch it, of course, and ended up falling on top of Ryoma.

Kuroki, that sly little fox, immediately whipped out her cell phone and took a picture of their quite interesting position before sliding the phone back into her pocket and yelling at Ryoma.

"THE COOKIES ARE IN MY POSESSION!" Sayuki shouted with glee, jumping up and running away from the room.

"What the hell, Ryo-ryo?" Kuroki said. "Couldn't you have found a better way of keeping the cookies away from her?"

"Shut up and chase her before she eats them," Ryoma snapped, dashing out of the room after the cookie thief. Kuroki sighed, rolled her eyes, and took after them.

Thus ensued a chase that took place all over the house, around the house, and inside the house. When Kuroki had locked all the rooms and Ryoma had cornered Sayuki on the stairs, they thought she had her.

Of course, she jumped.

"SAYUKI, IDIOT!" Kuroki yelled as Sayuki laughed, falling to the floor below. With her bare feet making an audible THUD, she was up and running again. Out of breath, Ryoma and Kuroki regrouped at the bottom of the stairs.

"This is harder than playing a tennis match against Atobe," Ryoma gasped. "I seriously feel like giving up right now."

"Well if she eats those cookies, it's gonna get even worse," Kuroki grunted, glancing at the kitchen.

"SAYUKI, STEP AWAY FROM THE COFFEE." Sayuki stuck her tongue out and poured herself a cup.

"That's just great," Ryoma moaned, staggering into the kitchen with Kuroki. With cookie in mouth and hand, and the cup of coffee in the other, Sayuki walked up to them and blinked, staring.

"Mmf f foocki?" Ryoma and Kuroki sweat dropped.

"Eh? Can't hear you with that cookie hanging out of your mouth."

Unexpectedly, Sayuki held the cookie out to Ryoma. Swallowing the cookie in her mouth, she repeated:

"Want a cookie?"

"... Sure," he muttered, taking the cookie. "What's with your obsession with them anyways?"

"Life is wonderful if you have a cookie," she answered simply. And then she sipped her coffee. Ryoma and Kuroki sweat dropped.

"... Crap..."

Sayuki grinned.

"HeyguyswhatsupIwasjust wonderingwhenwe wereactuallygonnago becauseallwe'vebeendoingthis morning iseatingbreakfastandrunning aroundthehousebutheythat'sokwithme causeIlikerunningdon'tyou anywayswe shouldstillget goingsooncauseit'sactuallypretty mightbecrowdedifweleave lateso-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Ryoma and Kuroki yelled, almost hysterically.

* * *

Exactly one hour later, Ryoma and Kuroki were slouching in their chairs, looking and feeling very exhausted. Sayuki was staring at the ceiling, since Ryoma and Kuroki had managed to convince her to count the number of dots on the room's ceilings and walls

"Twohundredfiftythree, twohundredfiftyfour, twohundredfiftyfive- DidIalreadycount thatonealready? Hm... Ohyeah, thatwasnumberfourtyseven. WhichnumberwasIonagain?"

"... Two hundred fifty six," Kuroki reminded her tiredly. She glanced at the clock. Only 7:45. It had been a loooong hour.

"God, I wish my parents would wake up and deal with this already," Ryoma sighed.

"I know," Kuroki grumbled, feeling very grouchy at the moment. "You've said that at least seventeen times."

"Well you've reminded her what number she was on thirty eight times already, so I guess the sugar and caffeine aren't gonna wear off anytime soon," Ryoma muttered.

"You were counting?" Kuroki sweat dropped. He nodded and glanced back at Sayuki, who was still counting the dots on the ceiling.

"... Already on the seven hundreds? I don't know if I should be amazed or feeling sorry for myself," Ryoma said.

"Me too," Kuroki whined. "I'm hungry... Every time we go near the fridge she always wants more coffee or coke, and if we go to the cupboards she wants a cookie!"

"I know," Ryoma grunted. "I've been there, done that. And I'd never thought that I'd ever hear myself say that, but I just did."

"OK, NEW GAME!" Kuroki announced. "I'm getting tired of hearing you count faster than the speed of light, so let's do something else."

"I have one," Ryoma said. "Say whatever first comes to mind. Sayuki starts, then me, then you. Ready go."

"Love!" Ryoma and Kuroki sweat dropped.

"OK... fluff..."

"Fan fictions. Fluffy, romance, fan fictions."

"Tissues."

"... What."

"Tissues! I said tissues because tissues are really fluffy when you rip them up! And when you read sad romance fanfics, you need lotsa tissues!"

"... I guess that makes sense... in a retarded way... Anyways... sick."

"Cold."

"Winter!"

"Scarves."

"Boots."

"Mashed potatoes!"

"... Do I want to know?"

"Itsalongstory."

"Uhh... Thanksgiving..."

"Holidays."

"Ice cream factory!"

"…"

"New game," Ryoma sighed. "Your answers are too ridiculous..."

"Ohohohohohoh! Let'splay... TWISTER!" Sayuki squealed.

"... We don't have that game," Ryoma sweat dropped.

"You know what, let's just go already," Kuroki muttered, standing up from her seat. "It doesn't seem like your family's waking up anytime soon and Sayuki's obviously not gonna calm down, so we might as well get this over with."

"I guess," Ryoma sighed, getting up. "C'mon, we're leaving."

"Where?"

"To get your racket fixed, and then just wandering round town."

"YAY!" Sayuki bounced out of her seat, rushed upstairs, and was back down with her racket in thirty seconds. Ryoma and Kuroki sweat dropped for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, curious as how to she had done it so quickly and yet dreading the answer.

"OKI'mreadyletsgo!"

"Oh God, this already sounds like a horrible idea," Ryoma muttered.

* * *

__ See what I mean? The spacing was annoying. And yeah... NEVER GIVE SAYUKI LARGE AMOUNTS OF SUGAR._

_And yeah, I threw in the fanfiction thing. :3 They know about it. They just don't know that they're in one... :3_

_Reviews/comments/blah blah blah..._

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_Yaaay! This chapter is really random. BEWARE OF TEH CRACKINESS. D:_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

YAY FOR SET UPS!

~Ryuu

* * *

"What a hyperactive friend you've got there," the racket dude laughed as the trio exited the shop. Kuroki and Ryoma sweat dropped and blinked in surprise as they met a very unexpected person outside. Sayuki just grinned a silly grin.

"Tezuka-kun!" Kuroki exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired curiously.

"Could ask the same of you," Kuroki answered. "We're getting Sayuki's racket fixed."

"Oh. I am getting my strings redone." He paused, staring at Sayuki. "What's wrong with her?"

"Don't ask," Ryoma muttered. Sayuki grinned and opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but Ryoma and Kuroki automatically slapped their hands over her mouth, not wanting to hear anymore of her hyper ramblings. Tezuka just stared at them, looking very, very confused.

Sayuki was fed up with being silenced and stuck her tongue out.

"Gah!" Ryoma growled, jerking his hand away and wiping it on his pants. "Did you just _lick _me!"

"MmffMMmm." Ryoma sweat dropped. Kuroki removed her hand before Sayuki could lick that too.

"Umm... So hey, when are you gonna be done with the racket?" Kuroki asked randomly, eying Sayuki cautiously just in case she had some random hyper fit or something.

"It should not take long," Tezuka answered.

"Heywhatchadoing afteryoufixyourracket?" Sayuki asked.

"What random idea has popped into your head this time?" Ryoma muttered, dreading to know the answer.

"... Eh?"

"Oh right, you haven't learned Hyperese yet," Kuroki said. "She just asked you what you're doing after you fix your racket."

"I have no plans at the moment," Tezuka said.

"Oksolet'sall hangouttogether!" Sayuki grinned.

"... That was your idea?" Ryoma said. She nodded so much that Ryoma half wondered if her head was gonna fall off.

"Translation: Sayuki wants all of us to hang out," Kuroki clarified.

"I see no reason not to," Tezuka replied. "I shall be out in a moment." He entered the shop and Kuroki looked at Ryoma curiously.

"What?" he grumbled irritably.

"Is he always so polite and stiff?" she asked.

"I don't know, you're the one who's in his classes," Ryoma grunted. "You should know the answer to that."

"True," Kuroki replied thoughtfully.

"Heyheyheyheyhey-"

"What."

"Wherearewe goingtogo?" Sayuki asked.

"... Haven't thought about that yet," Kuroki muttered.

"... Oh. Socanwe goeatlunch?"

"Lunch is fine."

"YAY!"

"But nothing that has a lot of sugar or is caffeinated."

"... Awwwwwwwwwwww..."

"Is that why she is acting so... Out of the ordinary?" Tezuka asked as he exited the shop. If _Tezuka _was struggling for words to describe Sayuki, you _knew_ she was crazy.

"Yeah, Ryo-ryo here decided to let her have coffee and cookies for breakfast and ended up with this," Kuroki sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Wasn't my fault," Ryoma replied, stifling a yawn. "She's the one who broke into my room and started yelling at me to wake up at freaking five in the morning."

"Wheredoyou wannagoforlunch?" Sayuki asked excitedly, bouncing ahead. When Sayuki was hyper, she never walked. Skipping, galloping, bouncing, sprinting, etc. was normal. Not walking.

"I dunno, you choose," Ryoma muttered, resisting the urge to yawn again.

"WellIdunnowhereto gosolet'sjustgointothenext bestresaurantweseek?"

"Sure," Kuroki said. Sayuki giggled.

"Youknowthisislike adoubledatekinda onlyit'snot," she said happily. Kuroki snorted.

"Yeah right," Kuroki said disbelievingly, jerking a thumb at Tezuka. "Me and Mr. I-can't-make-more-than-one-facial-expression-unless-it's-something-unbelievably-important? Chyeah, in some of your sick, twisted, sugar and caffeine induced dreams maybe."

"…"

"Youknow, IthinkIactually didhaveadreamabout thatonetime?" Sayuki said thoughtfully. The others stared at her. Ryoma was trying very hard not to snicker and Kuroki's eye was twitching. Tezuka seemed pretty much unchanged.

"Tell me that's not creepy."

"That'snotcreepy."

"…"

"Oh hey, that looks like a decent place," Kuroki said, pointing out a cafe across the street.

"I thought you said no caffeine?" Ryoma muttered.

"Well, chyeah, of course Sayuki's not getting any," Kuroki said, rolling her eyes. "Hey Tezuka, you up for it?"

"Fine," he said coolly. "But I feel like I've seen this place before..."

The bell above the door tinkled as Kuroki pushed the door open. The four froze as soon as they saw who was inside.

"Momo-senpai! Kikumaru-senpai! Oishi-senpai?" Ryoma said in a confused voice. Kuroki simply stood there, lower jaw hanging loose and eye twitching. Tezuka simply stood there and raised an eyebrow.

Sayuki... well, she just stood there grinning happily.

"Oh hey, sup guys!" Momo called from the table he was serving. Oishi was apparently the cashier, as he was standing behind the counter. Eiji, like Momo, was a waiter. Serving the people. What a surprise.

"Yo, Ochibis!" Eiji said in his usual cheerful tone. "Table for four? OK, right this way then!" He led them to a table next to the window. Sayuki sat next to Kuroki and across from Ryoma, who was seated next to Tezuka.

"Okay, what would ya guys like?" he asked, whipping out the notepad and a pen, waiting for their orders. They each grabbed a menu, and Sayuki somehow managed to scan the entire thing, memorize everything they had and each price down to the last cent, and give Eiji her order in... oh, let's say thirty seconds to a minute?

"... I'm not gonna ask how you did that," Ryoma muttered, sweat dropping.

"I'dlikethefirst two, thefifthone, and... theseventhone," Sayuki said, pointing out each of her orders.

"OK, what about the rest of you?" Eiji asked, scribbling down her orders. Kuroki sweat dropped at Eiji's ability to understand Sayuki's hyper talk.

"Uhh... Give us a few, will ya?" she said. "Not all of us can read a menu in under thirty seconds."

"Mkay, I'll get back to y'all then, nya!" Eiji said, bouncing away. He returned later with Sayuki's food and ready to take the rest of their orders.

"Man, but I'd never expect to see _these _guys here," Kuroki grumbled as she accepted her plate from a different waiter.

"Indeed," Tezuka said calmly.

"Don't you dare," Ryoma said, snatching his (caffeinated) drink away from Sayuki. She pouted and sipped her own drink.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Momo asked as he approached. Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you supposed to be serving the others?" he questioned.

"I'm on break," Momo answered impatiently. "So what's up with you guys?" An evil grin spread across his face. "Double date?"

"Pfft, yeah right," Kuroki said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "We went to go fix Sayuki's racket and met Tezuka-kun on the way."

"So... What's wrong with her anyways?" Momo asked, sweat dropping as he jerked a thumb in Sayuki's direction. The silly, and slightly creepy, grin was plastered on her face and her hand was slowly inching its way towards Ryoma's drink.

"Long story short, she's hyper," Kuroki answered, waving a hand. "And _very _hyper at that." She smacked Sayuki's hand away as she slurped her own drink.

"... I see," Momo said, sweat dropping.

"Momo! Break's over!" Oishi called.

"Yeah! Just a minute Oishi-senpai!" Momo yelled back. "Well, gotta go. My shift is over in a few if you guys are still around."

"OKseeyoulater!" Sayuki said cheerfully, waving.

"Huh, wonder why they're part-timing here in the first place," Kuroki said thoughtfully, sipping her drink. The next few minutes crawled by slowly, and Kuroki's temper grew shorter and shorter as Sayuki's hyperness began to annoy and affect everybody around her. Even Tezuka was beginning to feel just a **bit **annoyed.

"OHEYLOOK ABUTTERFLY!"

"SHADDUP!" Kuroki snapped. Sayuki kept quiet for... oh, maybe thirty seconds?

"Hey, thatguy's wearingashirt! … Hey, that'sguy's... notwearingashirt..."

"GAH! Just-! ... Wait what!" Sayuki pointed out the window. Kuroki followed her finger and immediately shielded her eyes from the sight.

"OMG MY POOR VIRGIN EYES!" She jumped up and hid under the table. Tezuka raised an eyebrow and Ryoma simply face palmed. After such a random day, there wasn't much that could surprise him anymore.

"Hey guys, my shift is ov- ... What are you doing?" Momo asked.

"Hiding my virgin eyes."

"... Right. So Eiji-senpai and Oishi-senpai are gonna be done in a few, so what do you wanna do while we wait?"

"Let'sgotothearcade!" Sayuki suggested, patting Kuroki on the shoulder to let her know that the shirtless man had passed. Kuroki cautiously emerged from beneath the table and glanced out the window, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that the man was gone.

"Arcade sounds good," Momo said. "What about you guys?" Ryoma shrugged and Tezuka did nothing.

"Arcade! Arcade! DDR! Dance dance revolution!" Eiji cheered as he bounced over to their table. "Oishi's coming in a second, so let's go to the arcade!"

"DDR sounds great!" Kuroki said, cheering up immediately. "Race you there! I'll kick your butt, kitty!"

"I'd like to see you try!" The two dashed out the door, the bell ringing frantically behind them.

"... They do realize that the arcade is in the other direction right?" Ryoma asked to no one in particular. The two screeched to a halt, apparently having super hearing, and ran off in the correct direction.

"Those two are really energetic," Oishi commented as he approached the others. "Let's catch up before they get lost or something." The others nodded and they chased after Eiji and Kuroki, who were already far, far ahead.

When the five caught up to Eiji and Kuroki, they found the two already beginning a heated match on Dance Dance Revolution. They sweat dropped as they watched them, and soon a crowd had gathered to watch their awesome skills.

"You're going down!" Eiji declared as they finished the song, taking a short break. He wiped the sweat off his chin grinning at Kuroki. She childishly stuck her tongue out in response, too tired to answer. It was their seventh song in a row on some impossibly hard setting.

"WHOA!"

"Man, these guys are crazy!"

"Is that humanly possible!"

"Hyuu!"

"Metry metryme try!" Sayuki said, nearly hopping with excitement. Ryoma sighed. It seemed like everyone was slowly being pulled into Sayuki's insane hyperness little by little... It was only a matter of time before he was dragged in too.

"Nyargh!" Eiji slipped and began messing up. Kuroki won.

"WHOO! WHO DA MASTER, HUH! WHO DA MASTER!" she demanded.

"Sayu-chan, you can take my place," Eiji grinned, walking off. "I'm tired..." He and Oishi left for the bathroom and for some rest.

"Yay!" Sayuki hopped on the platform. "Kuro, whichone?"

"Fix the speed of your words or I won't do it with you," Kuroki said.

"OK fine."

"YOU MEAN YOU COULD'VE DONE THAT!" Ryoma demanded. Sayuki shrugged and Kuroki smirked.

"Which song?" Sayuki repeated. Kuroki grinned and selected a song.

*insert any song by Dragonforce*

By now, the arcade was deserted as everyone had gathered around Kuroki and Sayuki, cheering them on and gawking at their uber skillz.

"Can we leave now?" Ryoma asked to no one in particular. Tezuka grunted in agreement, but was drowned out by the deafening noise. They ended up getting kicked out cause... well, there was nobody playing the games and they were so loud that the businesses around had complained.

"Well that went well," Oishi remarked.

"But that was cool," Momo said. "You guys were awesome."

"Hehe," Sayuki grinned. "Now where?"

"Good question," Kuroki said. "So we've had lunch, gone to the arcade..."

"Movie?" Eiji suggested.

"Sure, which one?"

"Well there's this one horror movie that came out recently and I heard it was _really _good..." Eiji began with a smirk.

"You mocking me boy? I'll take horror movies and laugh my head off any day," Kuroki snorted. "Let's go."

"Um... Kuroki," Sayuki began, sweat dropping.

"I SAID WE'RE GOING."

"... OK..."

The group entered the movie theater and encountered several unexpected faces.

"Everyone! What are you all doing here?" Taka asked. With him was Kaidoh and Inui.

"Could ask the same of you guys," was Kuroki's reply. "Since when did you guys hang out? Speaking of which," she said, turning to the part-timers, "why were you guys working at a cafe anyways?"

"Uh..." Momo and Eiji looked at Oishi.

"Eh! Oh- well- uh-"

"You suck at lying Oishi, just spit it out."

"Ah, well... Actually, we were gonna save money for a welcome party for you guys," he said sheepishly.

"... We got here like... A week ago," Kuroki said. "And this was supposed to be a surprise?"

"Yeah," Eiji chirped. "But you guys came really suddenly so we didn't have time to prepare and since Oishi can't lie, we got found out." Ryoma snorted.

"So who else was a part of this?" he asked.

"Pretty much everyone," Momo said.

"Well that explains things," Kuroki commented. "So why were you guys at the movie theater?"

"We came to see a movie," Taka answered. Kuroki sweat dropped.

"Kinda obvious... Which one?"

"The newest horror film." Kuroki noticed Kaidoh flinching a bit at the mention of horror and she smirked.

"What a coincidence, we're going to watch that one too."

"So were you guys on a double date or something before you met up with the part-timers?" Inui asked, purely out of curiosity.

"Jeez, why is everyone asking that?" Kuroki sighed. "No, we were not on any kind of date."

"But now that you brought up the topic," Momo said as they got in line for the tickets, "Kuroki and Captian Tezuka would be an interesting couple. Sayu-chan and Ryoma would be pretty cute," he ended with a smirk. Tezuka merely raised an eyebrow as he handed out the tickets to everyone.

"Shut up, would not," Ryoma answered immediately, as if it were a reflex.

"You never know," Momo grinned teasingly. "C'mon, let's go watch that movie now."

"The ads in the beginning are so boring," Sayuki complained as they seated themselves. Momo and Eiji forced Ryoma, Sayuki, Kuroki, and Tezuka to sit in that order.

"God, does it really matter?" Kuroki growled as Eiji shoved her into the seat.

"Yes," Momo and Eiji shot back.

"I want popcorn with lotsa butter!" Sayuki yelled.

"OK, OK, go get your popcorn," Taka said, glancing around to see if anyone was staring at the girl. "I'll go with-"

"Ryoma, go with her," Momo ordered.

"Why?" The boy blinked cluelessly back at his senior.

"God, you are so... JUST GO," Momo said, pushing the two out after a facepalm and an eyeroll.

"Don't forget soda and popcorn for the rest of us!" Eiji called.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryoma muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Do you have any money?"

"Nope."

"Great. Neither do I."

"Be right back!" Sayuki chirped, bouncing back to their seats. Ryoma waited patiently at the entrance, wondering when all the ads would end and when the movie would actually begin

"Back," Sayuki said, popping out of the door.

"What was that for?" Ryoma asked as they walked towards the snack place.

"I borrowed Kuro's wallet," Sayuki grinned. "M'kay... Three tubs of popcorn, one with extra butter... Then sodas for me, you, Kuroki, Tezuka-senpai, Momo-senpai, Eiji-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Captain Kaidoh, Taka-senpai, and Inui-senpai."

"No soda for you," Ryoma interrupted. "You're not getting _any _more sugar." Sayuki pouted but obliged anyways.

"So that's... nine sodas," Sayuki said. "Which kinds?"

"I dunno, just get one of everything or something," Ryoma mumbled, not interested.

"OK, so three tubs of popcorn, one with extra butter, and nine sodas, one of everything please," Sayuki told the man. He nodded, gathered up all the food and drinks, and gave her a price which she quickly paid.

"Kids date at such young ages nowadays," the man sighed as he handed the two everything.

"We're not dating," they answered in unison. Sayuki giggled and Ryoma rolled his eyes and began walking away.

"HeyRyomajustsoyou know, I'mnotgoodwith scarymovies."

"... I thought you fixed that," Ryoma answered in a dead tone, sipping his soda.

"Oh right. Well anyways, I'm not good with scary movies."

"You're telling me this why?"

"If I grab onto you suddenly, it's caused I got freaked out."

"…"

* * *

"Waho, that was a good movie!" Kuroki said cheerfully, stretching as they exited the theater. Everyone sweat dropped. True to her word, Kuroki really did laugh hysterically throughout the entire movie. Some guy who worked there even threatened to throw her out but she stuck out her tongue and told him to go get a life that didn't involve sweeping gum off the floors.

"My arm hurts," Ryoma muttered, rubbing his right arm. The arm that Sayuki had grabbed every time something freaky happened.

"Ehe, sorry bout that," Sayuki said sheepishly. Eiji and Momo exchanged grins.

"First mission to get them together: accomplished," Momo murmured under his breath.

"The plan to get Tezuka and Kuroki didn't go so well though, nya," Eiji whispered back.

"What should we do next?" Momo hissed as Kaidoh and Inui announced that they were leaving to train. Taka said that he had to go work at the sushi shop and left as well, leaving Oishi, Momo, Eiji, Tezuka, Kuroki, Ryoma, and Sayuki left. Oishi got a call, and with an apology said he had to leave too.

"Hm... Let's try and make Ochibi jealous, nya!" Eiji grinned evilly.

"Good idea, but who can we get Sayuki with..." Momo trailed off thoughtfully. He glanced around and his eyes widened.

"WHOA! Fuji-senpai, what are you doing here!" he asked as he ran over to greet his senior. The others trailed after him.

"Hey everyone," Fuji smiled. "I was shopping with Yuuta." The prodigy's younger brother nodded to each of them. Momo smirked and turned to Eiji.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he murmured.

"Are you thinking that we should get Yuuta and Sayuki together?"

"Yup."

"Then yes," Eiji answered, already thinking of ways to make their plot happen.

"This could be very interesting..."

* * *

Several failed attempts later, Eiji and Momo were beginning to get _very _pissed off. They had to first accomplish the very very difficult task of actually getting Sayuki with Yuuta. Hyper Sayuki was proving to be a very tough, yet ignorant, opponent to this part of the plan. Just when the two thought that they had succeeded, Sayuki would bounce away, interested by a new thing like a kid with ADHD.

And then of course, there was the problem that Ryoma doesn't get jealous over a girl. Ever.

Also, Yuuta was being very uncooperative.

"C'mon, you just have to pretend!" Momo begged. Yuuta simply kept walking.

For Yuuta, meeting the girl again was pretty awkward, considering that the last time he had met her, Sayuki had kissed him and now seemed to think nothing of it. Not to mention that during their first meeting, Sayuki had beat him in tennis. So he wasn't too sure of how to act around her.

Momo and Eiji abandoned all hope of ever trying to make Ryoma jealous, and instead tried to get Kuroki and Tezuka together. This proved even tougher than their first plan, and they quickly discarded that as well.

In the end, Fuji and Yuuta finished their shopping and went home and Momo and Eiji had to return home themselves, thus ending their first failed attempt at matchmaking. Of course, before he left, Fuji just _had _to ask if Ryoma, Sayuki, Kuroki, and Tezuka were on a double date.

"God dammit, no we aren't!" Kuroki exclaimed. "Why do all you people think that!" Fuji shrugged, and left with a knowingly amused look in his eye.

"Well, today was fun," Sayuki commented, stretching as they walked. "Can you believe that it's almost 7:30 already?"

"I'm just glad that you're not so hyper anymore," Ryoma replied. "I didn't want to deal with that at home."

"I'm surprised not many people commented on your new hairstyle," Tezuka said. Kuroki nodded.

"Yeah, I expected some people to overreact."  
"Not everyone is like you, you know," Ryoma said dryly.

"Shaddup. Anyways, I gotta go home now. See y'all tomorrow!" Kuroki said, running off in a different direction.

"I must leave as well," Tezuka said. And he left in the opposite direction from Kuroki. Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged looks.

"Today was so tiring," Ryoma sighed as they continued their walk home.

"Especially when Momo-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai tried to get me and Yuuta-kun together to make you jealous."

"You knew?" Ryoma asked, only slightly surprised.

"Yup. It was pretty obvious." Sayuki let out a yawn and stretched again.

"Hah. They'd love to hear that."

"They would, wouldn't they?" They entered the house and Sayuki called out:

"Hey! What's for dinner?"

* * *

_Now wasn't that one of the really random chapters that happen so much in this fic? :P_

_Review/blah blah blah. Check out our other stories too? :3 Please? PL0X?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

Kushishishi~

~Ryuu


	15. Chapter 15

_YAY! I LOVE this chapter, and Ryuu does too. It's dedicated to Kuroki, so Kuro-lovers will like this chapter a lot too. :3 And where there's Kuroki, there's Tezuka, so that's fun too._

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

DRAWING FERRETS ISH FUN!

~Ryuu

_... Uh... She's uh... Drawing ferrets (Kyonda from my other One Piece story, Peace in a Pirate's Heart). :3_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"... I know that I've said this before, but our English teacher is ridiculous."

"Nn."

Kuroki and Tezuka were once again sitting together in the library, attempting to complete their extremely confusing English homework. They weren't doing so well.

"So what is it this time?" she muttered, scanning the page. "OK... complete the saying... Doesn't sound too hard, but knowing that old man he's probably made it way harder than it should be." Tezuka looked down at the page and began to read slowly.

"... who live in... shouldn't..."

"What, can't read English?" Kuroki asked, raising an eyebrow as she twirled her pen.

"No. That is the sentence." Kuroki blinked and glanced at the first problem.

"Holy sh... I knew it!" she said exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in frustration. "What 'complete the saying'! This is more like fill in the blank!"

"The next one only has one word given," Tezuka stated.

"You're kidding me."

"See for yourself."

"... before... That's it! HE GIVES US A FREAKING 'BEFORE' AND EXPECTS US TO COMPLETE THE SAYING!"

"You're overreacting," Tezuka said. "It actually isn't as difficult as you make it out to be. Think. What saying has the word 'before' in it?"

"Uh..." Kuroki searched her mind. She knew those English sayings were stored _somewhere _in her mind. It just might be really, really far back in some dusty, forgotten corner. "I think it went something like... 'Before you leap, look'?"

"'Look before you leap,'" Tezuka answered, rewording it so that it fit the number of spaces given. Kuroki's mouth formed an 'O' and she scribbled down the answer.

"So back to the first one," she muttered. "Something about something living in something that shouldn't do something."

"The first word should be people," Tezuka said.

"M'kay... So now we have, 'People who live in _ _ shouldn't _ _.'"

"... Didn't we have a lesson on famous sayings somewhere in our textbook?"

"Hell if I know, I never look at the thing. I just go to Sayuki. She's way better than any textbook."

"She's not here right now so we'll have to use it," Tezuka replied simply, pulling out the heavy book. He found the lesson and slid the book where Kuroki could see it.

"OK so let's see... People, people, people... Found it!" Kuroki pointed at a line on the page. "'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.'" The two scribbled down the answer and moved onto the next one.

"Hm... 'Adding _ to _ _.'"

"'Adding oil to the flames,'" Tezuka finished.

"Hehe, smart guy," Kuroki grinned. "Here, I'll do the odd numbers and you do the even. We'll share when we've finished this section." Tezuka nodded and they set to work.

"'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.'"

"'Two birds with one stone.'"

"'Moving a mountain.'"

"'Be half an hour in heaven before the Devil knows you're dead.' That one was a bi-atch to find."

"'Cut off your nose to spite your face.'" Kuroki winced.

"What is with these people?" she muttered as she wrote down the answer. "What with their sayings about cutting off noses... 'It takes two to tango.'"

"'A penny for your thought?'"

"'There are plenty more fish in the sea.'"

"'Caught between a rock and a hard place.'"

"Well that should be all for this page," Kuroki yawned, stretching. "Eh... We were supposed to do the first two pages right?"

"Yes," Tezuka said, turning to the next page. "And you won't like the next one, I think."

"Oh you're kidding me," she grumbled as she turned the page.

"…"

"Was I right?"

"... Daaaaaamn... So now we have to go _interpret_ all of these crazy sayings!"

"That's what it says."

"... Damn."

"The page isn't going to write itself," Tezuka said, picking up his pencil.

"Sometimes I wish it would," Kuroki muttered.

* * *

"Sayuki~" Kuroki whined, collapsing on the table.

"Yes?" Sayuki asked, doodling on a piece of paper.

"I hate my English teacher."

"No you don't."

"OK, so maybe I don't. But I hate the homework he gives."

"Which is why I just helped you with it." Sayuki turned around and looked at the older girl. "But you did pretty well on the first page. Did you get help or something?"

"Yeah, at first I didn't get it," Kuroki said, sitting up and facing Sayuki. "But Tezuka kinda helped." Sayuki smirked.

"Nice to know you have help then," Sayuki replied, turning back to her drawings.

"I saw that smirk!" Kuroki said, throwing a pillow at Sayuki. "For the last time, I do NOT like him!"

"Sure, sure," Sayuki laughed, throwing the pillow back at her. "You will soon enough anyways." Kuroki growled, snatched up more pillows and flung them at Sayuki one after another. Sayuki caught a few of them and returned them to Kuroki.

Outside, Ryoma sweat dropped, wondering what the noise was all about. He knocked on Sayuki's door and entered.

"Hey, could you guys keep it-" He was interrupted by a pillow that hit him square on the face. There was a pause as the pillow fell to the floor. Ryoma twitched, bent down, picked up the pillow, and looked at the two menacingly.

"OK, which one of you two threw that?"

Silence.

Finally, Sayuki couldn't help it. She burst out into laughter. Ryoma twitched again and threw the pillow at Sayuki. She caught it and attempted to throw it back at Ryoma, but she was laughing too hard and the pillow slipped from her hand, instead hitting Kuroki.

"OH IT IS **ON**! PILLOW FIGHTS? HELL NO! THIS MEANS WAAAAR!" Letting out a battle cry, Kuroki leaped up and threw pillows like a pillow-flinging machine. Sayuki was rolling on the floor with laughter and Ryoma was kept pretty busy dodging pillows.

Sayuki managed to calm her giggles and sneakily threw a pillow at Ryoma just as he bent down to pick one up. He flung a pillow at Sayuki and kicked another at Kuroki. Sayuki caught the one Ryoma threw at her and threw it at Kuroki at the same time. Both of them nailed her and she glared at the two, growling.

"KAKURA!" she snarled. The weasel leaped off Sayuki's bed, from where it had been watching the pillow war in amusement, and now joined the fray. The weasel hissed, snatched up several pillows, and handed them to Kuroki while dadging several well-aimed pillows. Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

"YARGH!" Sayuki pounced on the weasel as Ryoma launched pillows at Kuroki. They were winning the war when Nanjirou opened the door.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked. They froze and turned to him.

"... Pillow fight?"

"I see," he said, sweat dropping. "Well, carry on." He withdrew his head and closed the door, just before Kuroki kicked a pillow at him.

* * *

"Hey, Kitty-boy!" Kuroki called, patting Eiji on the shoulder. He turned around, grinning at her.

"What's up Weasel-girl?"

Oishi sweat dropped, knowing what hid behind the two sickeningly-sweet, fake smiles.

"You two..." He face palmed. "Ever since that battle at the arcade, you guys have been competing over the smallest of things. Rivalries are OK, but tone it down a bit, would you?"

"There is a 15% chance that they will listen to you," Inui said, appearing behind Oishi.

"Oh sup Data Dude," Kuroki said, snapping out of her fake grin.

"Do you have a nickname for everyone?" Taka asked as he walked towards the growing group.

"Hm.." Kuroki said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess. See, over here is Egghead," she said, pointing to Oishi, "Here's Kitty-boy, there's Data Dude, and you're Sushi Son."

"Eh~!" Taka protested. "That makes it sound like I'm the son of sushi!" Kuroki shrugged, then noticed Tezuka passing by.

"Oh, and there's Icecube!" she grinned ecstatically, waving at him. "HI ICECUBE!"

Tezuka ignored her and kept on walking.

"See? Icecube," Kuroki muttered.

"You probably wouldn't want to call him that in public unless you want to be overrun with raging fangirls," Oishi advised.

"Psh, fangirls," Kuroki scoffed. "I've had my fair share of them, mostly from hanging around the Idiot Trio, also known as Kaze, Suigo, and Daichi." She turned and saw Fuji, and she grinned.

"HI MOUNTAIN APPLE!" Fuji didn't realize who she was talking to and simply passed by, catching up with Tezuka to talk with him about homework.

"... Mountain apple?" the others questioned, sweat dropping and raising their eyebrows.

"What?" Kuroki pouted. "Fuji Mountain! And Fuji apples are good!"

"... Sure... Sure..."

* * *

"So here we are again, once again attempting to decipher these obscure questions that our English teacher has assigned us," Kuroki sighed, tapping her pencil on the paper. "What is it this time?"

"None," Tezuka answered.

"Eh?"

"There is no homework," he clarified, pointing at the paper. "The cultural festival is coming up. The classes are preparing for it and our teacher has decided not to assign us any work." Kuroki whistled.

"Sweet. So what are we doing anyways?"

"A fairy tale play.

"Gotta figure," Kuroki sighed. "It's our crazy, childish English teacher after all. Which one?"

"Cinderella."

"Uh huh. Have they assigned roles yet?" Tezuka shook his head.

"OK. So no English. What else do we have?" Kuroki muttered to herself, searching through her papers. "Done with math... blah blah blah... Oh wow. No homework. SWEET."

"We do have several tests tomorrow," Tezuka told her.

"Way to burst my bubble Icecube."

"I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me that."

"Whatever you say Icecube," Kuroki grumbled. "So what do we have to study for? Math?"

"Yes."

"Let's get to it then."

* * *

Kuroki was dozing off while the English teacher was asking for volunteers for the actors. Tezuka was immediately voted up to be "Prince Charming" and the girls were all fighting over who was to be Cinderella. Except for the sleeping Kuroki of course. In the end, the English teacher decided to make Kuroki the role of Cinderella since she had said that she didn't care what she did. The three feistiest girls were made the step-mother and the step-sisters. Those who didn't have a large part were either background characters, made the costumes and sets, or were the backstage crew.

"You... Are Cinderella!" Sayuki said, struggling to keep in her giggles once Kuroki told her. Kuroki pouted and nodded.

"That's the worst idea I've heard in a while," Ryoma muttered.

"Normally I'd beat you up for that," Kuroki said cheerfully, "but for once I agree with you. How the heck am I supposed to play CINDERELLA!"

"Do you have the script?" Sayuki asked, suddenly serious.

"Nah, the geeks are still writing it."

"Do you have part of it?"

"The beginning," Kuroki answered, handing Sayuki the page. "What for?"

"OK! I shall help you with your acting!" Sayuki declared. Kuroki's eye twitched and she collapsed on the ground.

"Please... don't," she whimpered on the ground. Ryoma sweat dropped.

"It that a bad thing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Kuroki shot up and glared at him.

"You have obviously NEVER seen Sayuki when she's trying to help someone act," Kuroki growl.

"And you have?"

"Hell yeah. It was the only time in my life too." Kuroki snatched the script back from Sayuki. "Anyways, I'll just work something out. Thanks but no thanks Sayuki. See ya, have stupid rehearsal in a few." Grumbling and muttering colorful words, Kuroki stomped off towards her school. Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged glances.

"That bad, huh?"

"Hey, shut up! So maybe I can't act. You got a problem with that?"

"No. I just find it funny."

"Uh huh. What _I _find funny is that Tezuka-senpai is playing 'Prince Charming.'"

"... Oh yeah. Huh. Forgot about that."

"…"

"Wanna go spy on them?"

"Hell yeah."

They grinned to each other and ran after Kuroki. Very sneakily of course.

* * *

"Why are you guys here," Kuroki said in monotone. It wasn't even a question. She had no patience for this.

"To watch you," Sayuki answered.

"Why are you going to watch me?"

"Because we have nothing better to do," Ryoma replied.

"So you came here."

"Yup," they answered in unison.

"... Oh god I can't put up with you guys," Kuroki said with a sigh. "Kitty-boy, come over here and entertain these guys while I go memorize some lines." She pushed Eiji towards the pair and walked off, grumbling with the incomplete script in hand.

"I thought we were gonna go spy on them, not announce our arrival," Ryoma said, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh, screw that. Spying is no fun unless they already know you're here and are on the look out for you." Sayuki looked up at Eiji and grinned at him. "You don't have to entertain us. We're fully capable of doing that ourselves."

"Not thinking of the ways to misinterpret that statement," Ryoma muttered, "Let's go."

"Ryoma, you're such a perv," Sayuki answered, rolling her eyes. "Coming."

* * *

"I can't believe you two," Kuroki sighed. "I thought I told you to go away. And you guys still come and bother me."

"Hey, only after you finished," Sayuki corrected. Kuroki rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, you were still spying on me," Kuroki grumbled.

"It was rather amusing," Ryoma smirked. Kuroki glared at him.

"Kakura," she said, snapping her fingers. The weasel leaped onto her shoulder. "Have fun with these two. I gotta go." Kakura purred and leaped onto Sayuki's shoulder. Kuroki walked off again.

"Well, it's over now," Ryoma commented. "Now what?"

"I dunno about you, but I'm going home," Sayuki answered, yawning. "I'm tired and I haven't started homework yet... It sucks since our festival isn't till next, next week." Ryoma shrugged and the two headed home, Kakura following.

* * *

"Sensei, I'm pretty sure that I've told you a billion times by now... But I don't work as Cinderella," Kuroki growled, twitching at the thought. The man simply shrugged.

"I decided and everybody else already have their parts so you'll just have to put up with it," he answered, turning a page in the book he was reading. "Besides, you and Tezuka-kun seem to be doing well together."

"I am so sick of people implying that we should get together," Kuroki muttered. Her teacher shrugged again.

"Nothing I can do about it," he replied. "Now shoo, I do believe that I gave you homework to do." Kuroki's jaw dropped.

"You can't give homework!" she protested. "We have to work for the festival!" He looked up from his book for the first time.

"Is that so?" he asked, glancing back down. "Oh well. If I said I wouldn't give homework, I lied. Now go pass out the worksheets to your classmates. They're on the corner of the table. Feel free to do whatever you want for the rest of the time." Kuroki stared at the man as if he had just told her that he was a hermaphrodite from outer space, then grumbled colorful words as she snatched the pile of papers.

* * *

"I. Hate. Our. English. Teacher."

"I've heard," Tezuka answered in monotone, glancing the homework over. Their English teacher had assigned considerably less homework than usual, but it still aggravated the both of them that the man had given them homework when he had clearly stated that he _wasn't _going to.

"Well, what crazy work has he given us this time?" Kuroki growled, glaring down at the papers, tapping the table impatiently. The people around them turned to her and shushed her, reminding them that they were in a library. Kuroki shot her death glare at those insolent fools that had dared to tell her to be quiet. Nobody got away with that, except for maybe Sayuki. The victims of her stare immediately ducked back behind their books.

"It's actually a fairly standard assignment," Tezuka answered, surprise tinting his tone. "We need to translate the English text into Japanese."

"Easy enough," Kuroki said cheerfully. She began reading. "... Or not. What is this! I don't even know how to begin..."

"Why not begin with, 'Why are these words so high level, and why does it sound like the writers of the dictionary wrote this story?'" Tezuka suggested. Kuroki stared at him.

"Was that sarcasm I heard?" she grinned.

"Perhaps," he answered.

"I was thinking more like, 'Why does it sound like _you_ wrote this?' but you know, that last joke changed my mind," Kuroki grinned. Tezuka chose not to comment on that, pretending to be completely absorbed in the high level text.

* * *

Sayuki felt like flinging her textbook at the wall when she heard her phone ring.

She really had no real reason why she was in such a irritable mood. She supposed it must have been her "negative" side catching up to her. She hadn't felt that in a while. It had probably been pent up too long and now it burst all out.

Thus the reason for her wanting to kill the next thing that moved.

Growling, she snatched up the vibrating and noisy phone, which only added to her irritation.

"What do you want?" she snarled into the phone, clutching the phone between her head and shoulder, picking up her pencil as she began working on her homework again.

"Whoa, someone's in a bad mood," the voice at the other end said, surprised.

"What do you want, Kuroki?" Sayuki replied, still angry.

"Did Ryo-ryo or his perverted dad do something?" Kuroki asked.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Sayuki asked, her tone telling Kuroki that it would be the last time she asked.

"OK, OK, jeez," Kuroki grumbled. "You and your contagious fits. Our English teacher decided to be a pain and gave us homework. Which is to translate this English text that sounds like it came from ancient times or something. So uh... If you're not busy, could you and Ryoma come and help us?"

"'Us'?" Sayuki repeated questioningly, scribbling some words down.

"Yeah, Tezuka's here too."

"Figured," Sayuki muttered. "Have you two started dating yet? Seriously. Anyways, I'll probably be down in a few. I'll see if Ryoma's free. Where are you? The library?"

"No we're not dating shut up, and yeah, we're at the nerdy book stop," Kuroki replied. Sayuki smirked. She could just imagine her sister-figure rolling her eyes at the thought of her and Tezuka going out. Sayuki had to admit, she'd be the first one rolling on the floor laughing when it happened.

"Alright, see you soon then," Sayuki told her, ending the call. She gathered her books and papers together, shoved them into her backpack which she quickly slung over her shoulder, and knocked on Ryoma's door.

"Yeah?" the boy asked as he opened the door.

"Kuroki and Tezuka-senpai need our assistance on their English homework," Sayuki informed him. "Would you like to accompany me?"

"I'm not done with my own homework yet," he answered, not commenting at her formal wording. Apparently he didn't find it funny, as Sayuki hoped he would. Oh well.

"Neither am I," she shrugged. "Might as well finish it in the library with them. It's not like we've got anything better to do afterwords." Ryoma was silent, weighing his options, and decided.

"Give me a minute," he said, stepping back. "Meet you outside." Sayuki nodded and hopped down the stairs, telling Nanjirou where'd they be, and obediently waited for Ryoma outside. In a few moments he joined her and the two made their way to their senpais who were "in need of their assistance", as Sayuki had put it.

* * *

"Eh, Nanjirou-san expects us home in an hour and a half for dinner so make it snappy," Sayuki announced, dropping her backpack in the spare seat beside Kuroki. The older girl raised an eyebrow.  
"Still in a bad mood?" Kuroki asked, glancing back at her work.

"Apparently," Ryoma answered for Sayuki, since the girl did not seem inclined to respond. "She was muttering evil things the entire time we were coming here."

"Hn," Tezuka mumbled, only half listening to the conversation.

"So what's up?" Ryoma asked, leaning over his senpai's shoulder. Tezuka shifted so that the paper would be easier for the boy to read. "... Whoa."

"Whoa is right," Sayuki agreed, scanning Kuroki's page. "I know that your English teacher is weird, but isn't this overdoing it a bit?" Despite her complaints, Sayuki pulled a clean sheet of binder paper from her backpack and began copying the text down in Japanese. Ryoma did the same, and alternated between working on his own homework and helping his seniors and doing their homework. Whenever they worked together like this, Ryoma and Sayuki always did their senpais' homework while helping them so they could check their answers at the end. Kuroki had once complained about how copying or simply letting them do it would be so much quicker, but Tezuka would not accept it. Naturally he had this whole speech about cheating and taking advantage of another person and all that. You know how he is.

"... Sayuki, what word would you translate this to?" Ryoma asked, pointing out a word on Tezuka's sheet. Sayuki gave it a quick glance, her pencil never stopping.

"'Obstinate,'" she answered, scratching the character down on Ryoma's paper. "That's how you write it." She returned to her own page.

"I wanna know how you know these words, but the answer will probably scare me somehow," Kuroki muttered.

"I lived in America longer than Ryoma did," Sayuki answered. "And I was studying Japanese at the same time. My skills in both languages advance at the same rate. It's a habit." Kuroki blinked, Ryoma raised an eyebrow, and Tezuka gave no indication that he was listening. Shrugging, Kuroki stretched and noticed a familiar face wandering through the library.

"Kitty boy!" she exclaimed, standing up. The people around her were about to shush her again, but suddenly remembered her death glare and they hid behind their books again. Eiji looked up in surprise and grinned when he saw the four working on homework.

"Hey guys!" he said, bouncing over. "Whatcha doing?"

"English homework," Ryoma answered. "Don't you have any?"

"Nope!" he declared cheerfully.

"Eh!" Kuroki stared at him. "But we have the same teacher, right?"

"He told us that he only gave your class homework," Eiji explained. "Just cause he felt like it, he said. I think he likes seeing your reactions, Weasel Girl."

"So you're saying that the reason why we're here attempting to do this," Sayuki began in a low voice, "is because your teacher thinks it's _fun?_"

"... Sayuki, calm down," Kuroki said, inching her chair away slowly. Tezuka and Ryoma eyed the girl warily and Eiji whimpered and jumped behind a chair.

"Excuse me," Sayuki muttered, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Ryoma asked, but flinched when she shot him a glare.

"Outside. I'll be back in... five minutes." She left and left the four looking at each other.

"Should we go after her?" Eiji asked.

"Well, there's two choices," Kuroki said. "We go after her and become her targets for anger. Or we leave her out there destroying things. You pick."

"Or there could be a third choice," Ryoma said thoughtfully.

"Oh god, it doesn't have something to do with tennis does it?" Eiji sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love the sport. But really, Ochibi... Almost everything you think of has something to do with it. It's getting kinda old-nya..."

"Nah, I was thinking about ambushing her and tying her up or something," Ryoma shrugged. "But now that you mention it-"

"No we are not playing a tennis match with her to calm her down," Kuroki cut in. "But really," she smirked. "Are you sure you just don't wanna see her tied up?"

"What! No!"

"Denial~" Eiji sing songed.

"You two, quit it," Tezuka ordered. "We need to do something about Sayuki's bad mood before someone gets hurt. Now, we need to think of a suitable course of action."

"Yes Dad," Eiji and Kuroki chorused together, rolling their eyes. Tezuka glared at them and they shut up.

Well, he didn't _glare._ Tezuka doesn't glare. He just... looked at them sharply. Yeah, that's it.

In the end, the best thing they could think of was to simply follow the rampaging girl and attempt to restrain her before she caused any (more) damage. They found her staring at a tree, as if she were contemplating if it were worth destroying. They caught her before she caused any permanent damage. She went with them surprisingly without any struggle.

That only made them worry that she had already vented her anger by destroying something else, though.

When Eiji and Tezuka left, Ryoma and Kuroki kept a sharp eye on Sayuki, who seemed calm enough. Kuroki dropped them off at Ryoma's house and left, warning Ryoma that if he let Sayuki rampage, she would be after his blood. He muttered about how he appreciated the vote of confidence and closed the door. Sayuki was looking at him curiously.

"So what was with your mood earlier?" he asked carefully, trying not to put her in the same mood. Thankfully, she didn't seem to care much about the question.

"I dunno, I felt icky," came her reply. "I still kinda feel like something bad is gonna happen, but it doesn't bother me as much now." Ryoma sweat dropped and tried not to imagine the things she must have done to get rid of the bothering feeling.

"I see," he muttered. "Well if you're feeling more cheerful, we should go eat dinner. The old man has been expecting us, probably."

* * *

_... OK that was a bad ending but whatever. This is one of my favorite chapters ever. :3 Somewhere up there with the cracky hyper Sayuki chapters and the sleepover one._

_Reviews blah blah blah blah. :3_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	16. Chapter 16

_Whoo! Horray for an extremely cracktastic chapter! :3 No but seriously._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"Ryoma."

The boy didn't stir.

"Ryoma."

No response.

_"Ryoma_."

Nothing.

_**"Ryoma."**_

Zip.

_**"Ryoma!"**_

Zilch.

Sayuki tried shaking him awake.

Nada.

She yanked the sheet off of his bed. He groaned and turned over, hands searching for the missing blanket, but he didn't wake up.

Irritated and pissed off now, Sayuki tossed the blanket in the corner of the sleeping boy's room and leaned over so that her mouth was directly over his ear.

_**"Ryoma, for the love of God and all that's holy, WAKE UP!"**_

__Satisfied, she leaned back just in time to avoid bonking heads with Ryoma as he jolted up out of his bed.

"What do you want?" he growled, annoyed at being woken up in such a fashion.

"For your information, your obnoxiously loud alarm has been going off for the past five minutes," Sayuki pointed out testily, glaring at the still ringing box. "And we're going to be late for school if you don't get your butt out of bed and downstairs for breakfast." Ryoma muttered incomprehensible things under his breath, but Sayuki thought she could hear a few curses in both English and Japanese.

Grinning now that she had completed her task, Sayuki skipped down the stairs and seated herself, beginning to eat breakfast. Several moments later, Ryoma joined her, still irked for being woken up.

"Kuroki has rehearsal again today," Sayuki said thoughtfully between bites. Ryoma brightened up at this news. It had been a week since Sayuki had gone berserk, and lately Sayuki and Ryoma had made a habit out of bugging the older girl during her play practices. It was quite entertaining.

"What time?" he asked, gulping down some milk that Inui had ordered him to drink. He mentally rolled his eyes at the thought. How much difference was a glass of milk going to make? It wasn't his problem that he was short.

"Half an hour after school ends," Sayuki replied, standing up as she grabbed her bag. She bent down to strap on her roller skates. "I think it's two hours today. You should bring your homework this time. Don't want a repeat of yesterday." Ryoma grimaced at the thought. The day before, the boy had forgotten his homework and had to stay up an hour later than usual finishing it. Thus explaining how tired he was this morning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbled. He stood up, slinging his bag over a shoulder and bent down to slip on his shoes. He followed Sayuki outside, where Momo was already waiting.

"How long did it take for you to wake him up this time?" their senpai joked as Ryoma took up his usual position behind him. Ryoma scowled but Sayuki laughed.

"Five minutes twenty six point two seconds," Sayuki answered. "I timed it this time." Momo whistled and Ryoma decided to ignore the two.

"What's with his mood today?" Momo asked, as if Ryoma wasn't _right_ behind him.

"Forgot to do his homework so he had to stay up late," Sayuki replied, skating alongside Momo's bike.

"Well that explains a lot."

"Yup. Hey Ryoma, which scene do you think they're rehearsing today?" Sayuki asked.

"I don't know."

"C'mon, don't be a grouch."

"Echizen..." Momo said in a threatening voice. Ryoma sighed.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes," Momo and Sayuki answered in unison as they arrived at the school's gates.

"Fine," Ryoma grumbled, hopping off as Momo locked his bike. The three entered the school and Sayuki slipped off her roller skates, replacing them with the regular shoes. "They just finished up the part where the prince-"

"*coughTezuka-senpaicough*" Sayuki interrupted.

"-meets Cinderella-"

"*coughKuroki-sancough*" This time it was Momo.

"-so I guess they're gonna start dancing," Ryoma finished. Sayuki giggled at the thought of Tezuka and Kuroki dancing together.

"I might join you guys today," Momo said. "Well, gotta go to my first class. See you two around." The two kouhais waved and went to their homeroom.

"Sayuki-chan!" Sakuno waved her over. Sayuki grinned and took her seat next to the shy girl and Ryoma sat down on Sayuki's other side.

"Ah... Your teacher today is out with a cold," an unfamiliar adult said as he quieted the class down. "So I will be your substitute today. For homeroom today you may do whatever you want."

"Hey, hey, Sakuno-chan," Sayuki said happily, "Kuroki's having another rehearsal today. Are you free after school?" Ryoma sat up straighter.

"Sure, but I might have to leave early," Sakuno said after a moment of thought. "Tomo-chan has to take care of her little brothers, so I don't think she can come..."

"Aw... Oh well, she can come next time!" Sayuki said cheerfully. She felt Ryoma staring at her back and she quickly glanced his way. His brow was furrowed in confusion and frustration.

_What are you doing_? he mouthed. _I can't go if _she's _going, _he jerked his head towards Sakuno, who was spacing out. _You know we're supposed to pretend that we don't know each other. She'll get suspicious again._

_Tezuka-senpai_, Sayuki mouthed back.

_Oh._ He nodded, understanding. He leaned back, crossing his legs and folding his arms behind his head in a casual posture.

"I heard Captain Tezuka was gonna be there too," he commented. Sakuno looked up at him in surprise, and Sayuki pretended to do the same. "I was planning to give my senpais a visit anyways. Do you two mind if I tag along?"

"Eh- ah- ano- uh-" Sakuno stuttered. The thought of Ryoma accompanying her (them, she reminded herself, Sayuki-chan was coming too) was enough to make her mind spin.

"Sure," Sayuki answered for her.

The bell rang for homeroom to begin. Sakuno couldn't concentrate on her school work, she was too busy thinking about after school with Ryoma and sighed when she wished she could stay with him longer. She envied Sayuki, who could talk to anyone and do it confidently, or even Tomo-chan, who could do the same but was a bit overconfident.

Sakuno sighed again.

* * *

Ryoma yawned as he, Momo, Sayuki, and Sakuno made their way over towards the high school's multipurpose room.

"Tired?" Sayuki asked with a small smirk. Ryoma glared at her and muttered something under his breath. Momo snickered and Sakuno was simply confused.

"Kuroki!" Sayuki called, waving. The older girl looked rather annoyed but waved back anyways. Sayuki grinned and went closer to the stage, leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.

"Um.. When will it begin?" Sakuno asked shyly.

"As soon as Kuroki begins cooperating," Sayuki answered. "And her stubbornness makes this whole trip even more worthwhile." She nodded towards Kuroki who was snapping at the girls attempting to get her measurements for the dress. Sakuno giggled despite herself, and Ryoma and Momo smirked.

"Hn, Tezuka-senpai too," Momo said, pointing at the former tennis captain. Girls, obviously obsessed fans of him, trailed him everywhere, insisting that they needed his measurements so they could make the costume. He coldly turned them down, but as fangirls go, they didn't give up.

Eventually the two finally gave in and told the girls their measurements, but predictably they didn't stop annoying Tezuka. Now free from annoyances, Kuroki snickered at the his fangirls.

All the while, the four middle schoolers watched with smiles and smirks on their faces.

At last, the teacher clapped his hands and told them to rehearse the scenes, starting from the beginning. By now Ryoma and Sayuki had memorized the lines and amused themselves by (poorly) imitating the actors, reciting along with them. Sakuno giggled and Momo restrained his laughter lest everyone stare at them like they were maniacal freaks.

One of the best things about it was that the two main characters, played by Kuroki and Tezuka, were the least enthusiastic and they said most of their lines in monotone. It was hilarious to watch and even more so when their classmates complained and attempted to persuade them to use more emotion. The thought almost brought the four to tears. Tezuka, the emotional ice cube, who rarely smiled, using _emotion_? And Kuroki, thought she had no problem in expressing her emotions, pretending to be a servant girl in love with a prince...

Priceless. Simply priceless. Any one of them would be willing to cut of an arm and a leg to see that happen. And they swore to themselves that they _would_ make it happen, and they were dead set upon making Tezuka and Kuroki actually _act_, instead of this monotone reading of the script.

And though the journey would be tough, Sayuki thought to herself, it would be so worthwhile.

* * *

Sakuno left early, regretfully, as she had warned. She bid farewell to her three friends, and they stayed to watch the amusement.

"Finally," Ryoma said under his breath. "I was wondering how long we were going to have to pretend to be complete strangers."

"Uncomfortable with that?" Momo smirked, whispering just as quietly. Sayuki apparently didn't hear them, too busy giggling at their senpais as Kuroki and Tezuka refused to dance.

"Shut up," Ryoma growled back, his eyes fixed on the scene.

"Didn't deny it this time," Momo's smirk grew, knowing just which buttons to press to rile up the younger boy.

"Because I'm tired of have to say the same things over and over again!" Ryoma exclaimed, still whispering.

"Hey guys, should we have Kuroki and Tezuka-senpai come over today?" Sayuki asked as she slid down into a sitting position, pulling out a binder from her backpack. It was high time that they started their homework.

"Sure, and maybe we can convince them to actually perform a little," Momo said, acting as though he hadn't just been bugging his kouhai. Ryoma shot him a glare and began rummaging around his pack for his own homework.

The three worked on their homework, glancing up occasionally and laughing at the sight of Kuroki's classmates still attempting to get them to dance.

"Hey, what do you think they're gonna do for music?" Momo asked suddenly. Sayuki and Ryoma exchanged a glance and shrugged.

"Why?" Sayuki asked, scribbling something down.

"Well, they gotta have music to dance to right?" Momo answered, frowning at a math problem.

"It better not be slow and sappy or I don't think I'll live," Ryoma commented dryly. Sayuki snickered at the thought. If it was slow music, it would be even more hysterical when Kuroki and Tezuka had to dance.

"But it has to be slow right?" Momo said, toying with his pencil as he glared at the numbers on the paper. "Otherwise how are they supposed to ballroom dance?"

"Well..." Sayuki looked thoughtful. "Kuroki doesn't mind dancing if it's not slow dancing. I've seen her do it before."

"It wouldn't fit with the scene," Ryoma argued. "Besides, think about Tezuka-senpai dancing to that."

Momo and Sayuki thought about it. And shuddered. In fact, "Tezuka" and "dance" never belonged in the same _paragraph_, much less _sentence_. It just... wasn't right.

"Huh, we gotta do something about that," Sayuki muttered. "We'll think of something."

Momo and Ryoma doubted it, but didn't say anything.

* * *

"Kuroki, gonna come over today?" Sayuki asked as the older girl stepped off the stage.

"Maybe," she answered. "Kakura!" The European Pine Marten appeared from somewhere and leaped to the girl's shoulder. "Why?"

"Eh, no reason," Sayuki said, shrugging. "Was just kinda bored. And we figured we might help you and Tezuka-senpai a bit with your reluctance to dance." Kuroki frowned.

"Should've known," she muttered. "Well, you gotta convince the guy to come in the first place."

"Already taken care of," Momo announced. Kuroki stared at him, then at Ryoma beside him.

"No way."

"Way."

"Prove it."

"He'll be at our house at 6:00," Ryoma said. "Come and see for yourself." Kuroki glared; she knew a challenge when she heard one.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But be expecting to do all my homework for me when I get there."

"I thought you didn't have homework?" Ryoma smirked.

"Oh don't worry, my teachers suck and decided to go against their word," Kuroki sighed. "Well, see you." She left, petting the weasel on her shoulder and the three exchanged glances and triumphant grins.

"Get Tezuka-senpai and Kuroki to Act: Phase One, complete," Sayuki snickered.

"Now comes the hard part," Momo muttered.

"We'll be fine," Ryoma said, a mischievous tone tinting his words. "This'll be fun."

* * *

"Nanjirou-san, some friends are going to come over in an hour," Sayuki announced as she and Ryoma entered the house, slipping off their shoes.

"Ah, OK, OK!" Nanjirou called back. "Nice to know that Ryoma is actually starting to socialize with his friends now." Ryoma scowled and Sayuki giggled.

"By the way, how did you guys get Tezuka-senpai to come?" Sayuki asked curiously as they headed into the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Eh, we asked him and he wanted what for," Ryoma answered offhandedly, rummaging through the fridge. "We told him it was to assist his acting and he said OK as long as we promised not to bug them during rehearsal for the rest of the week."

"What!" Sayuki turned to look at him so quickly that she nearly got whiplash and lost her balance on the stool she was kneeling on. She yelped and crashed to the ground. Ryoma stared at her, sweat dropping. She whimpered as she rubbed her head, climbing back onto the stool. "But that means we don't have any fun!"

"Well if you think about it," Ryoma said, looking through the fridge again, "It doesn't mean that we can't bother them. We can still convince them to come so we can 'assist' with their acting and that will make it worthwhile, right?"

"True enough," Sayuki admitted, pulling the cookie jar out of the cupboard triumphantly. Ryoma eyed her warily, remembering the last time she had eaten cookies. She pouted. "I swear, I'm only taking two." She pulled two cookies out of the jar, as she had promised, and placed the jar back. "You didn't have to hide it so high," she grumbled as she bit into the cookie. Ryoma shrugged.

"Better safe than sorry," he answered as he pulled the Ponta out of the fridge. He slammed it shut and popped the can open. Sayuki stared at him.

"How can you drink that everyday and not get tired of it?" she asked as they went upstairs. Ryoma shrugged again.

"I finished my homework this time," he said. "So what are we gonna do?" He didn't even have to ask to know that Sayuki had long since finished her work; it was just Sayuki's uncanny ability to do her work at insane speeds. He shuddered at the thought of her doing homework while hyper. No doubt she'd be done before he could even blink.

"Get ready for their arrival, obviously," Sayuki answered. "C'mon, let's go to my room." Ryoma sipped his Ponta as he followed her inside.

* * *

"Macadamia, Bulbous Bouffant, Blubber, Tuberculosis-"

"Sayuki... What the HELL are you singing!" Kuroki growled.

"...Bulbous Bouffant?" Sayuki answered innocently. Kuroki glared at Ryoma, who put his hands up.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it!" he protested.

"Might she be hyper again?" Tezuka asked.

"Maybe. She had two cookies. Does that make her hyper?" Ryoma asked.

"I doubt it," Kuroki answered. She groaned. "Great, now I have that stupid Bulbous Bouffant song stuck in my head..." (http : / www . Youtube . Com / watch ? V = KfnBCVrUr64)

"And I'm gonna sing it over and over and over again until you guys start actually _acting_," Sayuki threatened. Ryoma sweat dropped. _This_ was her plan?

Well, apparently Sayuki knew what she was doing. Kuroki gave in rather quickly and though Ryoma had to get some duct tape because Kuroki threatened to rip his intestines out through his ass if he didn't stop laughing, she did actually make an effort to act. If you completely ignored the fact that this was _Kuroki_ acting, it actually wasn't all half-bad.

"One down, one to go," Sayuki whispered to Ryoma. He nodded slightly, though he wondered how she planned to get Tezuka to rip off his emotionless poker face.

Just then, the doorbell rang and in came Momo, apologizing for being late.

"What were you doing?" Ryoma asked curiously as they entered the room.

"Just some stuff Sayuki wanted me to do," Momo answered. "By the way, Sayuki, I passed Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze on the way here. I guess they were coming to visit."

"OK," Sayuki answered. "Hey, guess what? I got Kuroki to promise that she would act!"

"No, wait, seriously?" Momo laughed. "What about the other one?" he whispered. The two people in question were looking at the three very suspiciously.

"We'll get to that," Sayuki smiled. It looked quite innocent... But Momo and Ryoma shivered.

"That was... creepy," Ryoma muttered to Momo as Sayuki bounced over to order Kuroki to act again.  
"Yup," Momo answered. "Well, let's see what plans our little devil in disguise has."

* * *

"... You're kidding."

"Nope!"

Ryoma, Kuroki, Momo, and Tezuka looked at each other. They were currently very, very disturbed and quite possibly scarred for life.

"How come I don't see _your_ picture on there?" Momo asked.

"Because that's never going to happen and I swear to God if you try anything like that I will personally grab a pair of scissors and cut off a certain part of your body so that you'll never be able to reproduce. Very _blunt_ scissors. _Slowly_."

Momo very nearly started crying. Ryoma winced and even Tezuka looked scared.

"And Kuroki, dear?" Sayuki said, smiling sweetly. "You know that one time when you went s-"

"SHADDUP, I GET IT!" Kuroki yelled frantically, slapping her hands over the younger girl's mouths. The three guys looked interested but knew that they were likely to die or at least suffer painfully if they asked.

"So, when did you make... this?" Ryoma asked, gesturing towards the computer screen and what it showed.

"Lotsa spare time to waste when you're an insomniac," came Sayuki's simple reply.

"And you did this how and why?" Momo asked, twitching.

"Patience, practice, a talent for drawing and computer stuff, and a WHOLE lot of Photoshop. And I figured it would come in handy if I ever needed to blackmail any of you guys, and what do you know?" Sayuki smirked.

"... I thought Tezuka was the only one you were attempting to blackmail," Kuroki pointed out. Tezuka stared at Sayuki, as if silently asking her if this was true. Sayuki shrugged, as if oblivious to his stare.

"Anyways, if you two don't get your act together and actually start _acting_," Sayuki said cheerfully, grinning, though her eyes and tone were dangerous and screamed, _RUN FOR THE HILLS OR LISTEN TO HER EVERY WORD IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!_, "ALL of these pictures are going around the schools. Both Junior and High schools. And there will be at least three different pictures on each wall. Don't worry about the cost of paper and ink; I have that covered." Ryoma glanced sideways at Momo, who looked nervous.

"You have something to do with that 'coverage' don't you?" Ryoma asked in monotone. "By the way, what _were_ you doing before you arrived?"

"Getting lots of paper and printer ink," the older boy answered honestly. "I had no idea what she was gonna use it for though. I also told Kaze, Daichi, and Suigo to get more. I'd say between the four-"

"Five," Sayuki corrected.

"-of us," Momo continued, as though without interruptions, "we'd have a good thousand or so sheets of paper... And I don't even want to talk about how much money I wasted on all those ink cartridges..."

"... You're an idiot, you know that?" Ryoma said, still speaking emotionlessly.

"I do now."

"So we both agree to act," Kuroki said, speaking for Tezuka since he did not seem to be inclined to say a word about this. He gave a curt nod and promptly left the room. Kuroki soon followed, both high schoolers seeming extremely disturbed. Momo mumbled something about, "wanting a refund on all that crap," and left. Ryoma very much wanted to follow them, but seeing as how this was his house... He decided to stay. He turned back to the computer screen.

"Are you seriously sure you're not a stalker?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ryoma-kun," Sayuki said, swiveling around in her chair to face him again. "What did I say about trying anything? I have scissors not three feet from me you know."

"... Right," Ryoma muttered, sweat dropping and making a mental note never to piss Sayuki off again. "But really..."

"How else do you get nude pictures of all of us and edit them in very... intimate positions?"

Sayuki grinned again.

"Once again: Patience, practice, talent, and a whole lot of Photoshop."

* * *

Kaze and Sayuki sweat dropped as Furei and Suigo laughed themselves to tears, and Daichi chuckling with them.

"But OH MAN, that was _priceless!_" Suigo howled between hysterical laughter. "You should've SEEN the look on their faces!"

Furei was laughing too hard to say anything at the moment. Daichi was still giggling like a little school girl.

Why were those four with Sayuki, and why were three of them laughing their faces off?

Well, Kaze, Daichi, and Suigo arrived shortly after Kuroki and the others left, passing by the three as they entered. Furei had been looking for Kuroki since her sisters had wanted to give her a message (GET YOUR BUTT HOME RIGHT NOW AND MAKE DINNER! WE'RE STARVING HERE!) the boy had decided to stay with Sayuki for the moment.

The four had caught sight of their three seniors' extremely disturbed faces, and since they knew somewhat of what Sayuki had done, had immediately guessed what had happen and nearly bit their tongues off trying to contain their laughter. They managed to pass by the scarred trio with a straight face, and ran inside to Sayuki's room and finally let go.

Which brings us to the three hysterical people, watched by two others who were were wondering if now would be a good time to call the insane asylum to register three new residents.

"Are you three finished?" Kaze asked in monotone, reaching for a book that had ended up on the ground.

"Quite," Daichi chuckled, calming down.

"Just..." Laugh. "Give us..." Snicker. "A moment..." Snort, giggle. Repeat.

Sayuki and Kaze exchanged exasperated glances. Daichi headed towards the computer that Sayuki had bought soon after her arrival from America.

"Which ones did you show them?" the boy asked as he scrolled down the page of pictures. He skipped over the more... mature ones and smirked at several that caught his eye.

"The ones that you're not looking at," came Sayuki's reply. Kaze turned a page. Furei and Suigo were calming down from their hysterics.

The door squeaked as it opened and a very irritated seeming Ryoma peeked in. "Are you guys staying for dinner? Cause it'll be ready in a few."

"Nah, we just came to see you guys' reactions," Kaze replied calmly, putting the book down. Daichi closed the window that contained the explicit photos and put the computer on sleep. "We'll be taking our leave now." The four boys upped and left, leaving Ryoma and Sayuki wondering what the hell had just happened.

"That was... weird," Sayuki said slowly.

"No kidding," Ryoma agreed, growling slightly. "Their laughter gave me a headache." Sayuki smirked.

"Aw, would wittle Wyoma wike a ice pack for his wittle boo boo? Can he not handle mirth in extreme doses?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, just try and make me, Sir Ryoma." The permanent smirk on Sayuki's face grew.

"... You can be _so _annoying sometimes..."

"And don't I know it! Hey, what're we having for dinner anyways?"

"Sayuki soup..."

"GASP! RYOMA IS A CANNIBAL!" Sayuki feigned shock and horror.

"... You say your 'gasps' out loud?"

"Nah, that was just for dramatic effect."

"OK..."

"But seriously," Sayuki said, sobering up. "What are we having for dinner?"

* * *

_Cracky enough? Not really. :3 If you're wondering about Tezuka's and Kuroki's play, don't worry, the entire description will come soon enough... Until then, be content with Ryoma and Sayuki's never ending laughter. And Momo. Can't forget Momo, just can't forget Momo. :3_

_Review blah blah blah... :3 Check out some of our other stories too..._

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hahahi! This is a short chapter and it's very random. It's a filler... D:_

_Also, more hyper Sayuki. And pickles. Can't forget the pickles.  
_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

_Oh yeah, a little message from poor, frustrated, in-need-of-help lil Ryuu. :3_

I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY SUPER DUPER QUADRUPEL HATE GEOMETRY HOMEWORK AND PRE-CALC HOMEWORK! WHY DID I HAVE TO TAKE THESE CLASSES! T-T

~Ryuu

* * *

Ryoma was annoyed. Very much so. Why was he annoyed? Well, there were several reasons why.

First of all, he hadn't played tennis in a while. He was positively convinced that his skill had gone down drastically. Therefore, he was twitchy and had a sudden urge to grab the nearest racket and drag Sayuki or Momo down to the courts.

Secondly, there were no rackets nearby, contributing to his first problem.

Thirdly, neither Momo nor Kuroki were present, thus making them unavailable for a match or training. Also, Sayuki was in one of her moods. Enough said.

Fourthly, Suigo, Daichi, Furei, and Kaze were visiting again. And Ryoma didn't know what the hell they were doing, but the former three were laughing their heads off again. In fact, Ryoma didn't mind Kaze's company much, but it was those three that would not **SHUT UP** that drove him nuts. There were also a few minor reasons (fangirls attacking more aggressively than usual for no apparent reason) that added to his annoyance.

The result? A very pissy, irritable, snappy Ryoma.

_Most _people would have the common sense to leave him alone till he calmed down. _Normal_ people would've avoided him like the plague if he so much as looked anywhere near their general direction.  
Eh, then again, Suigo isn't classified as normal.

Suigo left the room full of hysterical laughter to go grab a snack downstairs, where he encountered Ryoma at the kitchen table, apparently doing his homework. **(Kai: What Suigo didn't know was that Ryoma was secretly plotting the downfall of the trio. April Fool's, no, Ryoma would never do that. [Edit: Yes this chapter was written on April First]) **There was an aura of impending doom and murderous intent surrounding the boy, but Suigo appeared to be immune to those.

"What ya doing?" Suigo asked curiously as he pulled a Popsicle out from the fridge. He tore the wrapping open and popped the frozen treat into his mouth, tossing the wrapping into the trash can.

Ryoma death-glared at Suigo. Apparently, Suigo was immune to those too.

"Eh, whatever," he shrugged as he headed upstairs back to the room of hysterical laughter, where he quickly joined in once more.

Ryoma twitched and the pencil snapped in his hand.

* * *

Sayuki was fed up. No really, she was.

So she had been in one of her "moods" again, and with the four boys visiting and laughing non-stop for no apparent reason, she was extremely pissed off.

Sayuki began making a list in her head.

_First I will beat them up and yell at them to leave (except for Kaze, he can stay)._

Check.

_Next I will go downstairs and raid the cupboard for cookies and make many many cups of coffee._

Check.

_Then I will tell Ryoma that I don't give a damn and that he'll just have to deal when he tries to stop me._

Check.

_And then I will politely tell Kaze to leave, lock myself in my room, consume said cookies and coffee, and sulk about my life._

In the process of being checked. She had just been about to lock her door when Ryoma suddenly appeared and asked if she wanted to go watch the rehearsal at Kuroki's school.

Sayuki contemplated this for a moment. It seemed that Ryoma was just as irritated as she was, so she wouldn't have to deal with anyone annoying (since he empathized with her) and she also got the bonus of being able to see Kuroki and Tezuka act. Together. As if they were in love.

This cheered her up considerably and she agreed to go.

* * *

Five minutes ago, Sayuki and Ryoma had been sulking and so mad they would bite off the head of the next person that looked at them cross eyed. Now their laughter rivaled that of the three boys that had caused their anger.

But really, who wouldn't at the sight of Kuroki and Tezuka acting out the story of Cinderella? And they seriously looked like they were pouring their hearts and souls into it, thought both of the middle schoolers knew that they were most likely planning how to get their revenge on Sayuki for making them do such a humiliating thing.

But it was _so_ worth it.

* * *

"Well, now I know that when I need to get rid of a bad mood, go watch Kuro-chan's rehearsal," Sayuki stated cheerfully as she, Ryoma, Kuroki, and Tezuka strolled down the street, looking for a good place to eat lunch. Sayuki and Ryoma were hungry after all the laughing they did, Kuroki was coming because Sayuki promised to pay for them since she had made fun of her so much, and Tezuka was tagging along because he honestly had nothing better to do.

"Wanna go back to where Kikumaru-senpai and the others were working?" Ryoma suggested. The other three agreed and they made their way towards the cafe.

"They might not be working right now though," Kuroki commented as they entered.

"Well lucky us then," Sayuki grinned as she spotted the three familiar faces.

"Welcome- Oh, hey guys!" Eiji grinned, looking up at the sound of the door opening. "Same seat as last time?"

"Sure, why not," Ryoma answered.

"Same stuff as last time too?" Eiji suggested.

"OK," Sayuki said. There was a silence in which Tezuka and Ryoma stared pointlessly out the window, Kuroki hummed a little song to herself as she called Kakura, and Sayuki stared at the table cloth.

"... Guys, if I start being hyper again, Ryoma can explain why," she said suddenly. Kuroki looked up sharply from Kakura's fur, then narrowed her gaze at Ryoma. He blinked, confused, and Tezuka continued staring out the window, giving no indication that he was listening.

"Wha-... Oh," he said, blinking. "I thought you didn't get the chance to eat all those cookies and drink that many cups of coffee."

"Believe me, I have my ways," Sayuki answered dryly. "Sure you probably only gave me thirty seconds to get upstairs before you called me to go watch their rehearsal, but I got all of that stuff down in my digestive system by the time you were at my door."

"... I don't want to know..."

"Yup, should be kicking in any moment now."

"Ryoma, if I ever get through this with my sanity still working, I swear, I will beat you senseless and throw you to a pit of ferocious vipers. And geese. Yes, lots of geese." Kakura purred in agreement with her master.

"... Geese?" Ryoma asked.

"Have you ever been bitten by one of those little bastards?" Kuroki retorted.

"Yaanditreally reallyreallyhurt."

"... Oh God it's starting."

* * *

"Heyguys. Heyguysguesswhat?"

"Kill me please," Kuroki said for the umpteenth time since Sayuki's sugar rush had kicked in. Which had been five minutes ago.

"GUESS!" Sayuki demanded, bouncing up and down like a little girl. The four were now strolling outside pointlessly. Ryoma had developed a twitch in his eyebrow and was staring away with a pained, self-pitiful smile on his face. Tezuka was just... there, as usual. Though to anyone who knew him well, they would've noticed that his hand was clenched into a fist. Which is probably the closest he'll ever get to openly showing irritation for something other than tennis. Or something like that. And Kuroki? Well...

She was very close to crying and looked like she wanted to kill herself or at least bang her head on the nearest wall or desk.

"I don't know," Ryoma finally grumbled, since Sayuki wouldn't stop shrieking, "Guessguess guessguessguess!" over and over again in his ear. "What?" he asked.

"Ihaveapickle."

"... How did you get a pickle?" he asked warily, almost scared to know the answer. The hyperness was also getting very annoying extremely fast.

"Idunno. Ijustfoundit."

"Can I please, please, PLEASE just knock her out right now?" Kuroki begged. "It'll be quick and clean, I'll take her home and no one will know. Just ANYTHING other than more of this!"

"You know, that doesn't sound like a half bad idea," Ryoma said thoughtfully. "But can you really catch a hyper Sayuki?"

The two remembered the last time they tried. And they sagged their shoulders. Tezuka was semi-curious, but he didn't ask. And Sayuki was just being herself. Plus the sugar. Oh, and the pickle. Can't forget the pickle.

Kuroki and Tezuka decided to ditch Ryoma with Sayuki and go to their respective homes. Ryoma managed to coax the girl back home where he collapsed on the bed, exhausted but somehow in a less irritated mood than he had been when Suigo, Furei, and Daichi had been laughing their heads off. He wondered why. Hyper Sayuki was probably ten times worse.

And Sayuki ate her pickle.

* * *

_Le effing gasp! Short chapter is short. D: Chapter 17 was filler, I guess..._

_ONLY FOUR PAGES. D: Next one is longer, I promise.  
_

_..._

_Now I want a pickle. D:_

_Review and all that good shizz? :3_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

_Another message from poor, frustrated, in-need-of-mental-help lil Ryuu. :3_

Pl0x review peeps, or else I shall get my scythe and come stalk you~ kushishishi~

~Ryuu


	18. Chapter 18

Okay, so my imouto is in Shanghai. My brother left for Davis. My mom is leavin' soon for another business trip. Dad's away on a business trip. And I'm stuck here taking 4 classes over the summer and have Semester Finals for my credit courses. I DON'T HAVE A SUMMER VACATION ANYMORE! T-T! AH! DAMN U HIGH EXPECTATIONS! *runs off to destroy things*

~ Ryuu

_Yush, yush, poor Ryuu._

_OMG I'M SO SORRY I COULDN'T UPDATE YOU GUYS! T_T But as Ryuu said, I've been in China, and since China has those blocks against Google, and all my prewritten chapters are on Google Docs... Yeah. Ryuu and I worked something out though, so we should finally start updating again. My Internet connection also isn't too stable, so sorry about any delays for the next two months._

_In any case, this chapter is Ryoma-centered._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

Ryoma was tired. And it was all that stupid clock's fault. It just WOULDN'T SHUT UP. Finally, he glared at the offending object and threw his pillow at it. It finally stopped ringing and he grabbed his pillow again, burying his face in it and drawing the blankets around him tighter.

Aha. Victory. Short lived, though.

"HEY RYOMA, TIME TO WAKE UP!"

"AGH GODDAMMIT." He threw his pillow at Sayuki, who had burst into his room. She caught it easily and bounced onto his bed cheerfully, hitting him with the pillow.

"Get off," he grumbled, swatting at her as he sat up. She grinned, dropping the pillow and jumping off.

"Breakfast is ready, Sleeping Beauty," she said. "I know you were tired yesterday, and that was my [hyperness's] fault, but you still gotta wake up if you don't wanna be late for school."

"I know, I know," Ryoma growled, sliding out of bed. "Now get out of my room."

"Why?"

"... I'm going to change?"

"... OH. Right." Humming a cheerful tune, Sayuki skipped out of the room, leaving Ryoma bewildered and shaking his head at her. How the hell could she be so happy in the mornings? Ah, well, at least she could get him to wake up... And it was kinda cute and-

Ryoma froze, shirt half on and half off.

Hold up. Rewind.

...

Did he just think that Sayuki was _cute_?

"No, no, no," he muttered under his breath, slipping the shirt on. "Nope, totally did _not_ just think that. Just tired from having to deal with her yesterday."

Yeah. That's totally it.

* * *

Ryoma managed to convince himself that he was just tired and he did NOT have any attraction whatsoever to Sayuki. Nope, none. Not even a tiny, itty bitty, mini bit. Except as friends. Sayuki was a pretty good friend. When she wasn't being crazy, angry, or anything but normal, that is. And maybe as a sister. But that's as far as it went.

No he was not in denial, and he will prove it by kicking your ass in tennis. What, tennis doesn't have anything to do with it? WELL SCREW YOU.

Maybe he wouldn't be so against the idea if it hadn't been exactly what Momo, Kuroki, Eiji, and the others had been implying. Damn them.

_No, I'm just against having feelings for Sayuki_, he decided as he sat down at the table. He glanced at the girl in front of him, who was cheerfully eating her breakfast. _Yup. No feelings. None of that shoujo, frantically beating heart or wild thoughts crap.  
_

_Oh great, now I'm becoming paranoid.  
_

"Ryoma, can you get me some milk?" she asked, munching on her toast.

"Get it yourself," he muttered, picking up his chopsticks.

"You're closer and you need some anyways. Inui-senpai says you do."

"... How the hell do you know that?" he sweat dropped as he finally relented and went to the fridge to get some milk for the both of them. _I was right. Sayuki probably _is_ a stalker...  
_

"He told me to make sure that you get some everyday and I know what you're thinking," she said, taking the glass of milk as he held it out to her. "And no I'm not a stalker."

"What, so you're a mind reader now too?" Ryoma muttered as he sipped at his drink.

"Yup!"

"..."

"It was a joke..."

* * *

"Hey, Momo-senpai," Ryoma said as the two made their way to the school's tennis courts. "Do you think Sayuki is a stalker?"

"Nope," Momoshiro replied. "She's just really smart and observant. Why?"

"Nah, it's just creepy sometimes," Ryoma muttered. Momo snickered.

"Yeah, it is," he answered. There was a silence as they entered the gates. "But you know something?" Momo said thoughtfully as he set his bag down, unzipping it. "Sometimes I feel like she isn't really there, you know what I mean?"

Ryoma thought about it. "Yeah," he answered. "You mean how sometimes it feels like she's forcing herself?"

"Exactly, that," Momo said, nodding as he pulled out his racket. "And other times you get the feeling that she's scared of something, right?"

"Mm," Ryoma agreed, pulling on his cap. "I dunno, she's just really confusing sometimes..."

"Who is?"

"GAH!" Momo jumped up. Sayuki snickered and looked curiously at the two.

"Jeez, don't do that," Momo whined. "Almost gave me a heart attack. That wouldn't have been good, not good at all." He looked accusingly at Ryoma. "How come you didn't react at _all_ to that?"

"I got used to it," came the reply. "Sayuki, get ready."

"Okay~" she said cheerfully, giving him a mock salute. She grabbed her racket and spun it, tossing it back and forth between her hands. "Coach wants us to practice our doubles today, right?" Ryoma nodded an affirmative.

"Ou, in that cause Mamushi and I will be your opponents!" Momo declared. "Oi, Kaidoh!" he yelled across the courts. "Get your butt over here!" Sayuki and Ryoma sweat dropped as their furious senpai came storming over and promptly began an argument with Momo.

"Are they always like that?" Sayuki sweat dropped pointing at the two.

"Yeah," Ryoma answered, pulling the cap lower over his eyes. "Get yourself ready." Sayuki grinned at him, showing off her pointy canines, her eyes changing colors.

"I'm ready, I dunno about you," she answered nonchalantly, shouldering her racket. "A-ah, but since you're a stubborn asshole I guess I gotta be the obedient one, eh?"

"Damn straight," Ryoma grinned, taking his place on the court.

"Oi!" they yelled in unison, catching the attention of their arguing opponents. "Senpai-tachi, are you guys just gonna keep yelling at each other or are we gonna get this started so we can kick your butts?"

"Echizen..." the two hissed menacingly. "Sayuki too," Momo added.

The two merely stuck their tongues out immaturely at them.

"Oh, you two are _so_ in for it now."

* * *

"Haha, shiznap!" Sayuki laughed as she returned Kaidoh's Snake shot. "Ryo-ryo-chan! How come you're missing all of them, eh?"

"Shut up," he shot back. "You're supposed to get the ones I miss. If I didn't miss any," he paused to return Momo's hit, "you'd have nothing to do!"

"True enough," Sayuki answered, eyes changing to their original color. She tossed the racket and caught it in her mouth, clenching her teeth. "I just hought ou could o his on our own!"

"... What?" Ryoma growled, in no mood to decipher what she had just said. "Drive B!" He leaped up as he slid on the ground, the ball bouncing in irregular curves as it reached the other side.

"Nice," Sayuki commented as she removed the racket from her mouth. "And I just said, 'I just thought you could do this on your own.'"

"Oh," Ryoma muttered, wiping the sweat from his chin. "Well, I could but then you'd probably complain about not getting any fun. This is doubles, remember."

"Yeah, yeah, OK, OK, you win," Sayuki said, waving her hands. She opened her eyes, showing that she was once again copying Ryoma, mouth curled into a devious grin. "Wanna get this over with?" Ryoma matched her smirk.

"My pleasure."

* * *

"Yay!" Sayuki high-fived Ryoma as Momo and Kaidoh collapsed on the benches.

"Man, does she have limitless energy or something?" Momo asked, sweat dropping as the girl hopped over to where the other second-years were practicing. Kaidoh simply hissed and chugged down water.

"Give her a few minutes," Ryoma said, sitting down next to him. Momo and Kaidoh looked questioningly at him.

"Give her a few minutes and then what?" Momo asked.

"That," Ryoma answered, nodding over to the girl. Sayuki was walking back, looking much calmer and staring at everything with much interest.

"Heyo Ryoma!" she said cheerfully. "And hi there, strangers who appear to be friends of Ryoma! Hey, where are we, anyways?"

"... Are you serious?" Momo asked, sweat dropping. "Now I can't tell if she's joking or if it's actually her amnesia symptoms of her eye thing kicking in."

"One way to find out," Ryoma muttered. "Sayuki is a stalker."

"Am I?" Sayuki said, tilting her head to the side. "Well, if you say so."

"... OK, she's definitely having a memory loss attack," Ryoma said, sweat dropping. _She better not remember me saying that when she gets her memory back, because I'm gonna have to get some life insurance if she does..._

"Have fun dealing with her," Momo said, standing up. "Mamushi and I gotta go mess with- I MEAN watch over the other kids. See ya." The two left. Ryoma sweat dropped.

"Well, some things never change," he muttered. "C'mon Sayuki, we gotta go home before-" He blinked as he felt something land on his foot. He groaned, face palming as he resisted the urge to kick the sleeping Sayuki off his foot.

"... Before that happens... MOMO-SENPAI! I GOTTA LEAVE EARLY AGAIN TODAY!"

"WHY!" his senpai yelled back. Ryoma pointed at his foot. Or rather, he pointed at Sayuki who was on his foot.

"... OH. OK THEN."

* * *

"Seriously, this makes, what, the third time I had to carry you home?" Ryoma grumbled, grunting as he dropped Sayuki on her bed. "I better get something for doing this..."

"Nye..." Sayuki stirred, eyes opening slightly. She flinched at the sudden light and covered her eyes with her hand. ".. Ryoma?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?" he answered, sitting down at the edge of her bed.

"Nah, just seeing if you were there..." She turned over on her side and grinned at him. "And don't worry, I'll pay you back for all those times you had to carry me home. Sorry about that anyways. Must be troublesome having to deal with me, eh?"

"Who's this?" Ryoma asked, slightly amused. "The normal Sayuki would've just said thanks and thrown me out of her room." Sayuki pouted and whacked him on the head with her pillow.

"Jeez, I apologize once and you think some aliens have abducted me or something," she muttered. "And the only reason why I was pretty insensitive of other people's feelings is cause I never had to deal with them. Ever."

"Kuroki, eh?" Ryoma smirked, tossing the pillow back. Sayuki caught it with a smirk to match his.

"Yup. And Daichi and the others," she added as an after thought. She threw the pillow at Ryoma again. "I said sorry and promised to pay you back later. Now get the hell out of my room."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Hey Ryoma, come over here for a second!" Sayuki called from inside her room. Curious, Ryoma left his desk, abandoning his math homework that he was sick of anyways, and entered Sayuki's room. The moment his foot hit the ground in the room, he got a punch to the gut.

"What the hell was that for!" he spat, recovering from the blow. Sayuki merely smiled and went back inside her room.

"For calling me a stalker while I had amnesia!" she yelled from inside. Grumbling to himself, Ryoma wandered back into his room, only to be called back a few minutes later.

"Will this trip be pain free?" he called back warily.

"Just come over here!" Ryoma rolled his eyes and braced himself for another punch to the gut.

Instead, he found himself staring at an oversized, extremely furry, dog plushie.

"... The hell?"

"Isn't it cute?" Sayuki said cheerfully, peeking out from behind it.

"Sure, but Karupin won't be happy about it," Ryoma said sweat dropping. The thing was like, two thirds of him.

"It's OK, just don't let Karupin into my room then!" Sayuki said, carelessly tossing it behind her. Ryoma sweat dropped.

"... Right. Where'd you get that thing anyways?"

"Suigo gave it to me," she said with a shrug. "Oh by the way, I really asked you to come over here cause I wanted to know what you got for this." She magically pulled her math notebook from thin air and pointed at a problem.

"Yeah, yeah, lemme get my book..."

"KARUPIN, GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Insert surprised and fearful hissing and meowing here.

"HOLY SH-! NO, DON'T RIP IT UP! RYOMA, GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND GET YOUR CAT OUT OF MY ROOM!"

* * *

Once again, we begin the day with the dreaded alarm clock. Ryoma thought tiredly that he should just trash it, seeing as how he always went back to sleep anyways. He whacked it with his pillow, this becoming a daily occurrence, and promptly fell back asleep, though getting a feeling that he was forgetting something.

"RYO~MA~ WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY TIME!"_ (Kai: Wakey Wakey eggs and bacy is from Teen Titans. Beast Boy is teh ownage.)_

Oh. That's what he forgot.

"Shut up Sayuki!" he growled into his pillow, trying to block the racket from reaching his ears. No such luck.

"You know," she said, tapping her chin, "You should probably get rid of that alarm clock. It never works and I always have to come upstairs to wake you up."

"Best alarm I've had," Ryoma muttered sarcastically, finally sitting up in his bed, running a hand through his bed-head. "Used to be my old man's job, but he didn't always remember to wake me up."

"Whatever, that's nice to know," Sayuki said, hopping out of his room. "Now that my job is done, I gotta go eat breakfast. Be down in five, we'll be late otherwise."

"Sure, whatever," Ryoma grumbled, grabbing the school uniform. Damn, he was becoming used to this. Absently he wondered if he would ever be able to wake up on time again without Sayuki.

Once again with the freezing with his shirt half on and half off.

Now there's a thought. Sayuki wasn't gonna stay in his house forever. She was liable to leave at any time. What if she went to go live with Kuroki, wherever that crazy weasel girl lived? He would still be able to see her, but all the craziness that he had become accustomed to at home would be gone. And if she went back to America?

Well damn, if just the thought of her not living in the room next to his anymore made him go cold, he sure as hell didn't want to think of _that_.

He went downstairs, his nonexistent good mood evaporating at the thought that Sayuki might leave. _Why am I bothered about this in the first place? _he thought to himself. _It's not like I didn't know already that she wasn't going to stay forever. Dad said that he was just taking her in temporarily. Why does the thought scare me now?_

And he knew the answer. He just didn't want to admit it. Now you could say that he was in denial.

"Well, it's about time!" Sayuki said. "C'mon, we gotta leave in a few minutes." Shrugging, Ryoma took a seat in his normal spot, acting as he normally did. As always, despite her complaints of going to be late, Sayuki waited for him.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up later," he said, waving her away. "I need to talk with my old man for a bit." Confused, Sayuki went obediently without any questions.

"You called?" Nanjirou said, poking his head out from the kitchen. Ryoma turned to him, serious business as usual.

"Dad, I gotta make this quick," Ryoma told him.

"Yeah, school, and you don't wanna keep Sayu-chan waiting, eh?" Nanjirou grinned.

"Actually, this is about Sayuki."

"WAIT, ALREADY!" Nanjirou looked shocked.

"... Already what?" Ryoma was very confused at this point.

"You two are going out already!"

"... Wait, WHAT! NO! I just wanted to ask if she was ever going to leave our house!"

"Oh... That's boring," Nanjirou complained, scratching the back of his head. "And it's only something like that? Got me worked up for nothing. Sayuki is staying until the end of junior high, and maybe more. She's not leaving this house or going back to America until she can make money and survive on her own."

" ... OH... OK then." Reassured, Ryoma began to leave when another thought struck him. "How did she live in America then?"

"Kuroki," came Nanjirou's simple reply. "Now go, you're going to be late."

* * *

_Aw... Our lil Ryo-ryo is finally starting to slooooowly realize his feelings. :3 How cute._

_Next chapter up soon?_

_Review blah blah blah... Didn't I once say that I wasn't going to bother putting the "Review/comment/blah blah blah"s up anymore? Oh well._

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	19. Chapter 19

_**IMPORTANTE!** Yush I just used Spanish in caps, bold, and underlined, this is pretty darned important._

_Before you go pL0X uPdAtE, i LuV uR sToRiEs loloololoololol, please understand that I'm taking a vacation with my family and I'm in freaking CHINA visiting my relatives right now. There's a block on Google that I'm not sure all of you know about, but all of my prewritten chapters are on Google Documents, and as such I'm unable to access them right now. Ryuu is also taking summer school right now so she's busy as well. We'll try to update as much as we can, but we apologize for any delays and will try to make up for it later when I'm back from China (August 16th, don't hold your breath) and when Ryuu's summer school ends, we'll be able to start updating more regularly again. Until then, please be patient and we appreciate the support._

_Alright, anyways. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on._

_This chapter, you finally get the full description of the Cinderella play that had Sayuki and Ryoma laughing so hysterically._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

MWUHAHAHAHAHA! xD u PPL R SOOOOOOO GUNNA LOVE THE CHAPTERS AFTER THIS ONE! :D AND WE GETTIN' SOME KUNIxKURO ACTION HERE! FINALLY!

~Ryuu

* * *

"Hey, Ryoma," Sayuki said absently, fiddling with her tennis racket's strings as the two warmed up for practice. "Kuroki said if we don't laugh, we can go to her rehearsal today to watch and she won't complain at all."

"Why is today so special?" Ryoma asked. "We always go anyways and her complaints don't matter."

"Apparently today they're practicing the kiss scene," Sayuki said, grinning as she stood up to reach his eye level. "Kuroki requested that only people she and Tezuka-senpai allowed could watch the scene, except for the necessary people like the guy who wrote the script and stuff."

"Heh~" Ryoma said, with his trademark arrogant smirk plastered on his face. "Sounds interesting. Sure you can keep in the laughter though?"

"Is that a challenge?" Sayuki answered, with an equally arrogant grin.

"Maybe."

"I bet you that I can not laugh and that you won't be able to," Sayuki challenged as they made their way over to Kaidoh and Momo to receive their instructions today.

"Loser has to do whatever the winner tells them to for a week," Ryoma added.

"Deal."

* * *

"Kuroki-chan, we have arrived and both have sworn to leave as soon as we have to laugh!" Sayuki declared as she entered. But their senpais were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where's Cinderella and Prince Charming?" Ryoma asked a nearby person. Sayuki snickered slightly. The best part was that he said it with a completely straight face.

"Ah, those two are changing, since this is dress rehearsal today," the person answered with a smile. "Though, being them, they aren't cooperating very well." Several frustrated yells and many crashes were heard from an adjoining room. Ryoma and Sayuki sweat dropped.

"I see what you mean."

Ryoma and Sayuki leaned against the wall, waiting for the two to come out. After a few minutes, Kakura padded her way out of the room and nuzzled up to Sayuki, apparently fed up with all the fighting going on inside. At last, Tezuka and Kuroki emerged.

Ryoma and Sayuki very nearly lost their bet right then and there. As it was, they both turned around, banging their fists on the wall, tears in their eyes as they struggled to control their giggles. Kakura stared at the two as if they were crazy and walked away, wondering why there were no normal people around.

Kuroki, though she looked _extremely_ pissed off, actually looked rather convincing in her costume, which, at the moment, was the dirty rags that Cinderella begins with. Her long hair was tied back with a filthy-seeming handkerchief, and her dress was sown in random colors and patches. The costume makers had done a good job. It was the thought of her later having to wear a ballgown that drove Ryoma and Sayuki to tears and barely contained laughter.

Tezuka, on the other hand, was already in his uncomfortable prince suit, which added to his kouhais' hysterics. It was your typical prince outfit: blue suit with white ruffles and gold lines, etc. Apparently the makers of the costume insisted on giving him contacts as well, since he was seemingly seeing perfectly well despite his lack of glasses. He, as well, looked rather miffed, though he concealed it much better as was usual of him.

"OK," Sayuki said to herself, a permanent grin plastered on her face as she regained her breath, still shaking with laughter held back. "You can do this. Deep breaths... Deep breaths..." Next to her, Ryoma was in the same condition. Without talking to himself of course. Our little Prince of Tennis is way too cool for _that_. Kuroki scowled at the two.

"Hey, Tezuka-senpai, you're not wearing color contacts right?" Sayuki asked, getting an idea. Tezuka nodded an affirmative. "Good," Sayuki muttered. She peered at his eyes, seeing past the flimsy contacts, memorizing the color.

"You're not gonna turn into him, are you?" Ryoma grumbled, realizing her plan. Sayuki stuck her tongue out.

"Never said anything against that," she retorted. "Now, you two, go and rehearse your little play. I swear I won't laugh. I dunno about this guy though." With that, her eyes became a swirl of color as they morphed to copy the color of Tezuka's eyes.

The lights dimmed and came on again to reveal Kuroki ** on stage in front of the set that was supposed to be Cinderella's home. Admittedly, the set makers were obviously not as good as the costume makers. Kuroki *coughCinderellacough* was sweeping the floor.

Three girls walked on stage, each wearing freakishly heavy makeup (on purpose).

"Ah, nee-chan, have you heard about the ball that the prince is holding tomorrow?" one squealed. Kuro-rella looked up with just the right amount of (fake) interest on her face, but continued sweeping.

"Yeah, yeah!" another squeaked happily, barely within the range of human hearing. "Mother, Mother, we _must_ go and get dresses for the ball!"

"Of course," the third, older one said, nodding in satisfaction. "We will make you two so beautiful that the prince will be unable to choose between the two!"

Cue fangirlish squealing. Kuroki, Ryoma, and Sayuki doubted that it was fake. They pitied Tezuka for having to put up with his fangirls even in an event like this.

"Ah, Nee-samas, Kaa-sama," Kuro-rella piped up timidly. Inside, she cursed her English teacher with all swears she knew. Which was quite a lot, as you might imagine. "Might I be able to partake in this ball as well?"

"Ha! You?" the first stepsister snorted. "You would be a complete and total disgrace! No, you are a fool to even think of asking!"

"Indeed!" the second stepsister nodded in agreement. "How impudent!"

"We will now go and buy our dresses," the mother said, looking down on Kuro-rella. "If this room is not absolutely cleaned of all dust by the time we return, there will be no dinner nor breakfast for you!"

Once again, Ryoma and Sayuki suspected that the three's delight in torturing Kuroki was not entirely acting.

The lights dimmed and turned on again to reveal Kuro-rella sweeping. Again. Every now and again she would pause and sigh wistfully, with a far-off look in her eyes. Damn, was the girl a good actor. On stage pranced the stepsisters and stepmother, all wearing extravagant dresses with the clasps undone.

"Cinderella, come here and do our dresses for us!" the stepmother commanded. Kuro-rella abandoned her broom prop and began fastening the dresses properly. When she finished, the three squealed and showed off the dresses with experimental twirls.

"Now, let us go to the ball where the prince is to pick his wife!" the stepmother declared. Cue even more squealing. Turning to Kuro-rella, the stepmother said with a snarl, "Cinderella, you are to stay here and clean the entire house. We will most likely be out the whole night. You are not to leave the house!" With that, the three bi-... scut eaters left the stage.

"Ah, I wish I could go too the ball too..." Kuro-rella said sadly, wiping away what seemed like a tear. To Ryoma and Sayuki, however, it was obvious that she had poked her eye to force the tear out. Suddenly, the lights began flashing different colors and the smoke from dried ice began flooding the stage. As far as Sayuki and Ryoma knew, it was the first time they were using the smoke machine.

So there was no way they could've predicted that the fire alarm would go off.

"HOLY-!" Kuroki's surprised yell (that undoubtedly was going to end with a curse of some sort) was drowned out by the alarm and the distant noise of fire engines. The people in charge of operating the machine sweat dropped along with pretty much everyone else who wasn't screaming their heads off. The teacher in charge sighed and escorted everyone outside. The firefighters on the several engines that had arrived were miffed at the obvious lack of fire as the teacher explained everything to the man in charge and apologized, sending them on their way. _(Kai: I speak from experience. We were doing Aladdin Jr. and we were testing out the smoke machine for the genie's arrival. The fire alarms went off and the fire engines came. It was rather amusing.)_

"Well, either we have to figure out how to do this without setting the fire alarms off or we just won't use the smoke," the script writer sighed. "But the effect won't be as great without the smoke..."

"So just turn the alarm off," Sayuki suggested, her eyes changing to their usual color.

"The chances are slim, but it's possible that there could be a fire during the play in a different part of the school," the teacher answered, shaking his head. "And we can't turn off one alarm without turning off all the others."

"I'm pretty sure I know a few people who could change that," Sayuki replied. "Kuroki, call Kaze."

"Oh, that kid?" Kuroki smirked. "Electronic whiz... What was his number again?" Sayuki told her, and after a short conversation on the phone, it was agreed that Kaze would come to the high school to fix the alarm system as they continued with the play, skipping the smoke machine part.

"OK, so begin from the Godmother's entrance," the director instructed. "We'll have to make do without the smoke for now, so just do it as we rehearsed."

A girl dressed in a sparkly yellow dress and a wand in hand walked on stage, grinning happily as she twirled her baton around. She was wearing a gray wig and the makeup was done to make her seem like an older woman, and it was quite convincing.

"W-who are you?" Kuro-rella asked, astonishment on her face.

"I am your Godmother, Cinderella," the girl informed her. "I have come to help you. You wish to attend the ball, correct? I can make your dream come true!" She looked around to see what she could do. "First, you need a coach to get you there. That pumpkin outside will do nicely." As the fairy waved her wand, they could see through the fake window of the set that the pumpkin that was barely visible was quickly replaced with a cardboard cutout of a coach.

"Next, you'll need some horses, a coachman, and footmen," the Godmother mused to herself. "For the horses, mice should do. The coachman... a rat, and for the footmen, lizards." Onstage walked two outrageous mice, a rat, and two lizards. Or, at least, they were supposed to be the animals. They were each the size of a human being (the mice the size of _two_ people) and unrealistically made, and no wonder, because as the fairy waved her wand, each costume (with the sound of many zippers unzipping) burst into what the fairy had mentioned. Each horse was evidently played by two people.

"That's gotta suck, wearing those itchy costumes _and_ the animal costume," Ryoma muttered to Sayuki, who had almost forgotten to change into Tezuka. She nodded slightly in agreement.

"Go outside and tend to the carriage," the fairy commanded. The men and horses walked off stage obediently.

"And of course those old rags won't do," the Godmother said, turning back to Kuro-rella. "Come here and I'll find you something much better to wear." She took Kuro-rella offstage, and for several moments there was nothing to be looking at. A few minutes later, during which Sayuki and Ryoma could hear Kuroki swearing as she messed with her new costume, Kuro-rella reappeared with the Godmother, the former wearing her bright _pink_ ballgown. Ryoma and Sayuki struggled to contain their snickers, as apparently even Tezuka could barely contain their laughter, if Sayuki's trouble to do so was anything to go by.

"Last but not least, I will grant you these slippers," the fairy said dramatically, reaching into the folds of her dress and pulling out seemingly real glass slippers. They were made of a transparent material that looked very much like glass, but was much more flexible and less fragile than actual glass slippers.

Ah, the wonders plastic can do!

"Y'know, if I didn't know for myself that those were fake, I would've thought that those were real glass slippers," Sayuki murmured to Ryoma. He nodded in agreement. Kuro-rella looked appropriately amazed and filled with awe.

"Now remember this, Cinderella," the Godmother said sternly, "the magic will wear off at midnight. You may go to the ball, but return before twelve, or else all these things will revert to their original forms. Now go! The prince is waiting!"

At the mention of the prince, the image of Kuroki and Tezuka together immediately popped into the minds of Sayuki and Ryoma, and they bit the insides of their cheeks to stifle their laughter.

There was a momentary blackout as the backstage crew quickly changed the set and the actors left or walked onto the stage according to their roles. When the light came back on, the stage had been transformed into a replica of a ball room, with Prince Tezu-charming on one side and the many, many people attending the "ball" on the other. Prince Tezu-charming looked the part he was playing very much, and Sayuki and Ryoma wondered if he could actually act. The previous times, he had come close, but quickly reverted back to his emotionless, strict self before he came to the breaking point.

After an attendant of Prince Tezu-charming gave a quick speech about what the ball was about (although they all knew very well), music began playing, courtesy of the school's orchestra, and the people split off into pairs and began dancing. Many girls tried to approach the prince, but he ignored all of them, decidedly indifferent to all of them. As far as Sayuki and Ryoma knew, that was the only part where his coldness fit perfectly.

Suddenly, Kuro-rella appeared on stage in all of her Cinderella glory. Prince Tezu-charming sat up straighter in his chair **(yes he was sitting no I didn't forget to mention that shut up) **as he took notice of the girl. Ryoma and Sayuki were getting even more interested, since Tezuka hadn't followed that part of the script so far. Slowly, he stood up and made his way through the dancing couples towards Kuro-rella.

Ryoma and Sayuki were excited as hell when he started kneeling on one knee and placed his hand over his heart. Then he looked up at Kuro-rella, who was (acting, duh) amazed and surprised.

"May I have a dance with this beautiful young maiden?" he asked, the words rolling off his tongue. And he looked at her straight in the eye (although he was still on one knee), took her hand, _kissed it_, and freaking _**SMILED**_.

That's right my friends. Giant newsflash. For something other than a tough win in tennis, _**TEZUKA KUNINIMITSU SMILED.**_

Even Sayuki, who was in "Tezuka-mode" at the moment, was absolutely flabbergasted. Her Tezuka-frame of mind could not even begin to comprehend what had just happened.

"... We are so bugging him about that later," Ryoma said with a smirk after the initial shock wore off. Still amazed, Sayuki nodded silently.

In their shock, they didn't notice that Kuroki was not surprised at it at all. She merely continued acting as Kuro-rella, flustered and not knowing what to do.

The two began dancing, and Ryoma had to agree (because Sayuki forced him to) that the two were a cute couple, though the word "cute" never actually left his mouth.

They continued dancing for a while, Kuroki mentally cursing the "glass" high heels all the while, when suddenly a bell rang out loud, signifying midnight. Kuro-rella froze up, knowing that she had to leave, and began running away. Amazingly, the set behind them began to roll as she ran, showing the door she ran through, then outside the castle.

"How...?" Ryoma said with wonder.

"It's on wheels," Sayuki said impassively. "It's just one giant, continuous sheet of painted cardboard. The people backstage are pushing/pulling it at the same speed that Kuroki's running."

Prince Tezu-charming, still _actually_ acting, watched her run in shock, then began chasing her. Had the set not been moving with them, they would've looked quite silly since they were now running in place. Frustrated at not being able to get the shoe off her foot, Kuroki nearly kicked it off before it finally slipped off her foot and she was free to run off stage. The set stopped moving as she immediately ran into the blackness and shelter of the curtains as Prince Tezu-charming reached the place where the shoe had been abandoned. He slowed down, looking appropriately dejected, stopping and looking down at the "glass" shoe. He picked it up and looked back at where Kuro-rella had been, and the lights dimmed.

While the lights were off and the people were messing around on stage for the scene change, Sayuki muttered to Ryoma, "Well, that was either the most amazing or most disturbing thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I'm still deciding."

"What, which part?" Ryoma asked, just as sarcastically. "The part where he _smiled_ or when he actually acted according to the script?"

"Both," Sayuki answered. Ryoma looked like he was about to retort, but decided not to and looked back at the stage, now depicting a new scene. It was showing Kuro-rella's dirty old home again, with her stepsisters and stepmother on stage, but not Kuro-rella herself. There was a knocking noise and the stepmother immediately went to go answer it.

"Prince!" she said in surprised delight. "For what reason may I have the honor of your presence in my home today?"

"The prince is searching for the owner of this shoe," one of Prince Tezu-charming's guards said stiffly as they entered the home.

"Oh, that is my shoe!" one stepsister squealed almost before he could finish the sentence. "I had lost it the night before!" With that, she snatched the "glass" high heel from the guard and kicked off her shoe, trying to jam her foot into the "glass" shoe.

"If that woman's foot doesn't fit, how does Kuroki's?" Ryoma asked curiously.

"Kuroki has surprisingly small feet," Sayuki answered. "They probably just got her shoe size and was done with it, with no extra acting or anything. She had like... Shoe size five or something, last time I heard." Ryoma twitched.

"_Five?_" he hissed. "And she's in _high school_?"

"Shut up and watch, it's almost over," Sayuki growled back. "And I am not losing the bet now."

"No, no, it's mine!" the other sister was shrieking. She swiped it from her sister and kicked off _her _shoe, trying to cram her foot into the tiny thing. Alas, it was all in vain. The stepmother went through the same process.

"Are there any other maidens in the house?" the guard asked when they had all tried. He was apparently disgusted with the scene, with good reason too.

"There is me," Kuro-rella piped up quietly, appearing at the edge of the stage, once again in her Kuro-rella rags. Prince Tezu-charming's face changed from impassive to somewhat interested.

"Come here, I won't bite," the guard said jokingly.

"She is the mere servant girl of this home," the stepmother said stiffly. "She did not leave the house last night. She could not possibly be that..." She trailed off in surprise (good acting, eh?) as Kuro-rella silently took the shoe and slipped it on easily.

"At last, I have found you," Prince Tezu-charming said. Though the line was supposed to be exclaimed in wondrous amazement, he said it with a quiet happiness and longing. It fit him more, and had a greater effect. "What is your name?"

"My name is Cinderella," Kuro-rella whispered, yet Sayuki and Ryoma, all the way in the back, could hear her. From her pocket, she withdrew the other slipper.

"That is the name of the maiden whom I shall marry," Prince Tezu-charming announced. "Cinderella!"

"How dramatic," Ryoma muttered.

"Shut up," Sayuki growled again. "The kissing scene is up next. Tezuka-senpai's on a roll... He might actually kiss her." She paused thoughtfully, watching the lights dim once more, cuing a scene change into the castle again. "I hope he knows that she hasn't had her first kiss yet." Ryoma grunted, deciding not to comment on that.

"... And Cinderella, do you take the prince to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the guy dressed as the priest asked. Kuro-rella had miraculously managed to change into a mock-wedding dress in that extrodinarily short period of time. Prince Tezu-charming had also changed into a... WAS THAT A TUXEDO!

"I do."

"And Prince, do you take Cinderella to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"... I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

The two turned to each other and slowly began to close the gap between their faces.

"They're not gonna kiss," Ryoma muttered. "It's a pretend kiss at most."

"Not if I can help it," Sayuki said, snapping out of her "Tezuka" mode and into her mischievous self. She skipped to the front, pulling out an apple from her pocket...

"Where the hell did you get that apple?" Ryoma mumbled, sweat dropping.

They were now so close that it could count as a pretend kiss. People watching from the audience certainly wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Sayuki's super vision sure as hell could.

Ready, aim, fire!

The apple landed squarely on Kuroki's head, knocking her forward.

…

AND THERE WAS LIP TO LIP CONTACT!

Kuroki's and Tezuka's eyes flew open (which had been closed when they were pretend kissing) and they pulled apart immediately. They stared at each other, then Kuroki glared at the apple so hard that people swore that they saw smoke coming from the apple. Tezuka merely looked shocked.

"Huh, guess that was his first kiss too," Sayuki commented to Ryoma as she skipped back. Ryoma was slack-jawed with his eyes wide. And then, despite all his efforts and determination to win the bet, he started laughing.

Three seconds of peaceful/shocked silence...

"GOD DAMMIT SAYUKI I AM GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"I guess the play is over..."

* * *

_Ah... I'm glad that that chapter is finally out of the way._

_Apples are magical. :3_

_Next chapter coming... I have no idea, my Internet is extremely slow here._

_So anyways, thanks for reading!_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	20. Chapter 20

_Fwee! Chapter Twenty is up! Which means that the next chapter is the last prewritten chapter... Updates are going to start slowing down really soon, really fast._

_And things in FSC are about the get hella awkward hella quickly._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

Hehehe, dere's gunna be a lot of plottin' :D

~Ryuu

* * *

"…"

The silence was deafening in the confined space that was the kitchen of Ryoma's home. Currently seated at the table was Ryoma himself, Sayuki, Kuroki, and Tezuka. They were all facing different directions, not looking at each other, and not speaking. Kuroki had her arms folded across her chest and was staring intently at the wall. Well, glaring was a better word. Sayuki was staring at the ceiling, with her chin in her hand, elbow propped up on the table. Tezuka was as proper as ever, back straight and staring straight ahead, unblinking. Ryoma was being unusually fidgety and finally settled down into a slouching position in his chair, studying the table.

"…"

"So..." Ryoma began. Nobody shifted their position. "I had nothing to do with this, so I'm just gonna leave now..." He began to stand up quickly.

"Stay," Sayuki commanded, her eyes not moving from the ceiling. Ryoma blinked.

"Eh?"

"You lost the bet. You have to do whatever I say. And I'm telling you to stay."

"... You're forcing me to be in this tense environment which I had nothing to do with the making of it?"

"Yup."

"..." Ryoma sat back down and returned to his previous position.

"Sayuki, I am still going to kill you no matter what you do." Kuroki spoke with her lips barely even moving. Randomly, Ryoma thought that she would make a good ventriloquist.

"I know." Sayuki looked rather unconcerned for a person who had just received a death threat.

"Ryoma, you're going to die too."

"What the hell did I do this time!" he protested.

"You didn't stop her."

"How was I supposed to know? She just up and did it!"

"You're still going to die. Just because I'm angry."

"Oh, well that's a perfectly good reason to commit murder," Ryoma scoffed. "While you're at it, why don't you kill Captain Tezuka too?"

"Nah, I need him for something else. He'll just go through excruciating torture." She paused thoughtfully. "Actually, you two aren't dying either. You'll just have to go along with my little plan."

"I don't wanna know," Sayuki muttered. "Kakura was there too, and she definitely knew what I was doing. Why don't you punish her?"

"Aww, but I love adorable wittle Kaku-chan too much," Kuroki whined. "I'm not gonna hurt her~."

"... Damn, I lost to a weasel."

* * *

"So... this is your idea of 'excruciating torture?'" Sayuki sweat dropped, staring at the dangerously high stack of books in front of her. Tezuka and Ryoma were beside her with similar stacks. Each one looked like it would topple with the slightest movement, resulting in a crashing thud and at least one person buried beneath the book-slide.

"Yup!" Kuroki chirped cheerfully.

"... So you want us to read this or what?" Ryoma asked, looking up and down at the books. There had to be at least one hundred.

"Hell no!" Kuroki said, looking aghast. "My task for you guys is to return all of these books into their proper spots. Y'know, how they do it by author and alphabetical and genre and all that. And they're from all over the library, so y'all better get started if you wanna go home before the weekend ends."

"…"

"Have fun dearies!" Kuroki said cheerfully as she skipped away and out of the library.

"... How did you two become friends again?" Ryoma asked Sayuki.

"I have no idea..."

In unison, the three all turned back to stare at their piles of books.

"I swear to God Sayuki, if you order me to put _all_ of this back..." Ryoma said threateningly.

"I won't, I won't!" Sayuki laughed as she went to go find ladders to get the books at the top of the stack. "I'm not _that_ evil."

"Sometimes I wonder."

"Tezuka-senpai, you haven't said much," Sayuki commented.

"Does he ever?" Ryoma answered dryly.

"Well, less than normal," Sayuki shot back. "You know what I mean. Was that really so shocking for you guys?"

"How would you feel?" Ryoma asked, out of curiosity.

"Meh, I seriously wouldn't care," Sayuki answered as she dragged the ladders back to the table with the help of the two guys that were with her. "I mean, it's just like CPR. Lip to lip contact. Is there anything really _that_ special about kissing?"

"... How were you raised?" Ryoma muttered. "Around here, a girl's first kiss means everything to them. I don't even get it."

"I would hope not," Sayuki answered. "Cause you're not a girl. Hold onto this ladder, 'kay? If you let me fall, I will kill you. And Tezuka-senpai, could you catch the books I drop? Alright, thanks." Sayuki climbed to the top of the ladder and began taking the books from the top of the stacks and dropping them one by one to Tezuka, who caught them and placed them on the floor. When they had about twenty books on the floor and the giant stacks of books on the tables looked considerably less intimidating, Sayuki climbed back down and helped the two men sort out the books. They returned the books that were nearby or in the areas far away from their current location and the entrance, but the ones that belonged closer to the exit they kept with them so that they could return them later as they left. When they finished with their little pile of books, Sayuki climbed back onto the ladder and the process was repeated.

In this way, the books that numbered around about two hundred or so dwindled to about fifty within the time period of several hours. The sun was already halfway pas the horizon when the three gathered up the books that they kept and made their way back to the exit, returning books along the way. By the time they exited the library, the sun was almost completely set.

Sayuki and Ryoma said goodbye to Tezuka, who still looked a bit out of it, and they all returned to their respective homes, all feeling extremely tired and sore from all the work.

"Ugh, and she even kept us alive because she said she wanted to do something _else_ with us," Sayuki groaned. "What the hell could that be?"

"It better not be as bad as that," Ryoma muttered. "That _was_ absolute torture."

"Yup," Sayuki agreed. "I'm gonna go get a soda... Want anything?" Sayuki stood up and made her way over to the fridge, where, blessedly, lay many cold beverages.

"Please," Ryoma said. Sayuki tossed him a Ponta, knowing that he loved those things, and pulled out a Sprite for herself, the soda being the closest thing to her. She took a seat again and sighed with pleasure as she placed the ice cold thing on her cheek.

"I still gotta think of what to make you do," Sayuki mused. "Well, I have a week... So many things to do..."

Ryoma sweat dropped and sipped at his soda, dreading what was to come.

* * *

"Alright!" Sayuki yelled cheerfully, bursting into Ryoma's room and leaping onto his bed. "It's Sunday morning, Ryoma! Rise and shine!"

No response. There wasn't even anyone in the bed, which was made. Confused, Sayuki glanced at the alarm clock beside the bed. 6:00 AM... Ryoma couldn't be up already... Could he? She jumped off the bed and nearly crashed into Ryoma entering the room as she exited.

"Whoa, up already?" Sayuki asked, blinking as she took a few steps back to let him in. He nodded sleepily, still in his pajamas, like Sayuki, and collapsed on his bed.

"I figured you would do something like this so I was up since a while ago," he slurred, burying his face into his pillow. He looked up at his clock and muttered into his pillow, "Which would actually be an hour ago... So tired..." He rolled over onto his back and sat up, scratching his head sleepily and yawning. "So what did you want me for this time?"

"Well, I was figuring that since you have to do anything I tell you to for another six days..." Sayuki trailed off and grinned mischievously. "Remember the sleepover? Truth and dare?"

"Oh God, you've gotta be kidding me," Ryoma groaned, falling back onto the bed. "I am _not_ wearing a dress ever again!"

"Not a dress, but more like our school uniform, which is a skirt," Sayuki countered, her devious smirk still plastered all over her face. Ryoma attempted a glare, but the effects were lessened by his sleepiness. The drowsiness would also explain why he barely put up a fight when Sayuki shoved the uniform into his arms, along with the wig that they had used during the sleepover, and pushed him into the bathroom.

"How the hell did you get my size?" he yelled, holding the garments as far away from himself as possible, as though it contained some deadly disease. Even while doing that, he could tell that it would most probably fit him.

"I didn't!" Sayuki called through the door. "That's _my _uniform, so if you get it dirty, I'm going to make you commit suicide!" Ryoma groaned and slammed his head on the door, effectively waking him up. He had forgotten that Sayuki was around his height and size. Of course she would do something like that.

Now that he was thinking clearly, Ryoma carefully tucked the uniform under his arm so that he wouldn't damage it and have to commit suicide like Sayuki had threatened, and attempted to open the door. The knob turned normally, but when he tried to push the door open, it didn't budge.

"... What the hell. The door doesn't lock from the outside. SAYUKI, WHAT DID YOU DO!" he yelled, frustrated. He put the uniform on the counter and tried pushing harder.

"I pushed your bed in front of the door, so don't even think of trying to get out without putting the uniform on first!" Sayuki called back. "And I'll know, I have my ways!"

"Ugh," Ryoma muttered. He gave the door one last kick, which resulted in a stubbed and aching toe, and he cursed Sayuki. He glared at the uniform and wondered if there was really no choice...

* * *

"... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" As soon as Sayuki let Ryoma out of the bathroom, she took one look at him and started laughing so hard that she was crying. Ryoma glared at her, sweat dropping at her non-stop laughter. In an instant, Sayuki stopped laughing and had a straight face, staring right at Ryoma.

"You look great," she informed him. He sweat dropped.

"You can't be serious," he muttered. "Telling me that after all that laughing." He glared at the skirt, hating it and all it was worth.

"Why didn't you put on the wig though?" Sayuki asked, gesturing to the fake hair in his hand. He snorted.

"I'm not gonna put that on unless you force me to with death as the only other option," he declared.

"Put it on or I'm giving you to Kuroki and telling her that you were the one who came up with the idea of throwing that apple at her."

"... OKAY, OKAY, I'M PUTTING IT ON!" Ryoma yelled as Sayuki pulled out her cell phone and began dialing Kuroki's number. He plopped it on his head and Sayuki properly positioned it on his head. After staring at him for a moment, she whipped out her cellphone again and quickly took a few snapshots as Ryoma blinked in surprise.

"Delete those pictures," Ryoma growled threateningly. Sayuki stuck out her tongue childishly and held the phone behind her.

"I don't think so," Sayuki laughed. "C'mon, go find a mirror and see how you look."

"I'm not gonna let you out of my sight, cause you'll probably text those images to Kuroki as soon as I turn my back," Ryoma muttered, dragging her into the bathroom with him. His eyes widened and he whirled around when he heard the door click closed.

"... Hey Ryoma, wasn't that door open just a second ago?" Sayuki questioned.

"Yeah," he answered slowly.

"... Did you close it?"

"No..." Ryoma and Sayuki turned and stared at each other, then at the door. They were thoroughly creeped out when evil laughter came from the other side.

And then Ryoma realized that the voice was male, and he knew instantly who was the culprit.

"DAD!" he yelled, kicking the door viciously. The laughter came again and faded as Nanjirou presumably left the room. Ryoma attempted to open the door, but it was blocked once again by something. Frustrated, he turned around and promptly froze when he realized just how small the bathroom was.

"Whoa, little room," Sayuki commented, as she, too, realized that there were mere centimeters between them. "Hey, Ryoma, you know what would really suck right now?"

"What?" he asked, trying to keep as far away from Sayuki as possible. He was suddenly feeling _very_ uncomfortable.

And then the lights went out, leaving them in total darkness.

"... That," came Sayuki's reply as she sighed. "How the hell did a blackout even happen in the first place!"

"This is just a guess, but my dad probably forgot to pay the electricity bills or something," Ryoma muttered sarcastically. "Can I get this wig off now?"

"Eh, sure why not. Make sure you don't trip or hit anything or something like that," Sayuki answered, closing her eyes. _Karupin... Think Karupin_, she muttered to herself.

As Sayuki was preparing her first attempt at using animal eyes, Ryoma was messing with the fake hair on his head, but it was tangled with his actual hair. Cursing and muttering that he was never doing this again no matter what, he attempted to untangle the dreaded thing in the dark, but probably only succeeded in making the knot worse.

And he freaked out when he saw two glowing yellow eyes with slit pupils staring at him from the darkness.

"... Sayuki?" he asked warily in disbelief.

"Nyaan~" came her reply. Ryoma wanted to bang his head on a wall right now. Sure, turning into Karupin would give her the ability to see in the dark, but she would begin acting like a cat as well. That would explain why the eyes were so close to the ground; she was probably crouching like a feline.

"Sayuki, change back," he sighed. "It's not helping." There was a silence, and Ryoma watched with amazement as, before his very own eyes, Sayuki's left eye turned back into her orignal red color. Now there was only one cat-like eye staring at him in the darkness.

"Ryoma, this is a pain and I have to concentrate, so please just shut up for the next few minutes," Sayuki said slowly and carefully, gradually straightening back up to her normal height. He flinched as he saw the eye lean closer to him, but he realized, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, that Sayuki was leaning over to untangle the mess that was his hair and the wig.

That knowledge didn't stop him from becoming extremely self-conscious about his heartbeat and breathing patterns, though.

"You OK?" Sayuki asked, still slowly as she was still fighting the urge to act like a cat. "Your breathing sounds a little messed up." Ryoma cursed in his head, forgetting that with her heightened senses, it was quite obvious that she would be able to detect the change in his breathing. He tried to breathe normally, but his heart was less easy to tame, and the irregular beats meant that his breathing would either be random or wouldn't be there at all.

"And I don't mean stop breathing either," Sayuki hissed when she noticed this. She let out a sigh of relief and Ryoma saw the glowing eye revert to its usual color, and he realized that she had managed to remove the wig from his head.

It appeared that that may have been a bad thing, since once the wig was removed, Ryoma felt as if all his self control had gone. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grasped Sayuki's shoulders and crushed his lips to hers. Sayuki's eyes widened, but she was far too drained from the eye-color switch to do anything about it. Her energy left her and her legs went weak, but Ryoma wrapped his arms around her and kept her on her feet.

"Ryo... ma!" Sayuki barely managed to growl, his lips still mashed against hers. Ryoma's eyes flew open, taking in what he was doing, and as his brain processed this information, his body immediately rejected the act that it had done. He automatically shoved her back and pressed his back against the door.

"What the- OW!" Sayuki crashed to the floor with a thud, barely avoiding hitting herself on the counter's corner. Ryoma was breathing hard, still trying to figure out what he had just done. Grumbling about serious mood swings, Sayuki picked herself off the floor.

"So... The hell was that for?" she asked, dusting herself off. Ryoma shook his head, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts.

"If anyone asks, nothing happened," he finally managed to growl. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on and they squinted and covered their eyes as their eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden change. Ryoma and Sayuki also heard the sliding of several objects outside, and Ryoma immediately shoved the door open. "You. Out," he said, pushing Sayuki out of the bathroom. "I need to change out of... this," he explained, gesturing to the uniform he was still wearing. Sayuki's mouth formed an 'O', understanding, and she left, closing the door.

With a yawn and a sigh, Sayuki stretched herself, having been cramped in the bathroom the entire time. Deciding to forget about what had happened in there, she skipped cheerfully down for breakfast, knowing that she would find Nanjirou there, pretending that he had taken no part in the door being unable to open and the sudden blackout.

* * *

Breakfast was awkward, to say the least.

After Ryoma and Sayuki had unleashed their anger upon Nanjirou, who was now lying on his side and pretending to read the newspaper while secretly searching through porn mags, as usual, the two had begun eating in total silence. Both refused to look at each other, not wanting to acknowledge the presence or existence of the other.

Nanjirou, on the other hand, continued to sneak glances at the two youngsters he was housing, wondering what his plan had accomplished. It seemed that the two were as distant as they could ever get, but he knew better than to assume. It was likely that something had happened that had made them want to avoid each other, but unlikely that they hated each other. Yet. His guess was proved right when Sayuki hurriedly finished her milk and excused herself from the table, telling no one in particular that she would be out with Kuroki that day. If she was currently hating Ryoma, then she wouldn't have even bothered saying anything, as Nanjirou usually cared less where she went.

Nanjirou smirked to himself as Ryoma cleaned up and headed up to his room. His devious little plan to get his son and Sayuki together might work after all... He'd just need some assistance. And this Kuroki seemed to be very willing to help, and she might even manage to get more people in on the project...

* * *

_Ah yes. :3 Nanjirou and Kuroki and all the other evil plotting people are about to unite. BEWARE SAYU. BEWARE RYO. YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF EBIL PLOTTING GENIUSES ON YOUR TAIL._

_Yup. Things are reeeaaally awkward right now. :D Don't you just love tension?_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	21. Chapter 21

_Hey y'all! Chapter 21 is finally here! Hehe._

_Alright, so we had a little problem about me being in China (and I'm still here...) and not being able to access my prewritten chapters. That's fixed for the most part so we should be getting chapters up at least once a week._

_In any case, we were left off with a little awkward moment. Let's see what's gonna happen to little Ryoma and Sayuki next..._

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

**roflao** I sooo wanna tell u guys what happens...but that will ruin it all...So have fun reading~ xD

~Ryuu

P.S. If u ppl have any ideas to what "villians" Yukira and Oki meet in PDH (fyi they all die, but I need ideas b/c I'm on complete writers block) please tell me. Thank you.

* * *

Kuroki and Sayuki were sitting in the cafe that the tennis players were part-timing in. Kuroki was playing with Kakura as usual, while Sayuki quietly sipped at her drink and nibbled at her food, staring out the window. Kuroki noted this odd behavior, and wondered why the younger girl had suddenly called her out.

"So..." Kuroki began casually. "What happened? You usually don't just ask for me to go out somewhere with you randomly." Sayuki shot a quick glance at her older-sister figure.

"You'll make fun of me," Sayuki stated simply.

"No I wo-"

"Simple fact. You will, don't even try to deny it," Sayuki interrupted.

"... Are you gonna tell me anyways?" Kuroki smiled innocently, petting Kakura, who was chattering, glancing back and forth as each girl spoke.

"Of course," Sayuki answered, rolling her eyes. "You make fun of me at every chance you get, and I won't deny that I do the same, but we never keep secrets from each other." Kuroki nodded solemnly, knowing this to be the truth. Since they met, they poured out their deepest, darkest secrets to each other, and they now knew each other better than they knew themselves.

"Ooh, wait, I wanna guess first!" Kuroki interrupted cheerfully before Sayuki could tell her what had happened. "Let's see... Judging from how you are right now... Ryoma finally made a move on you?" Sayuki froze and looked warily at her friend. Kuroki grinned triumphantly. "Well it's about time!" Kuroki announced. "So what happened?"

"So uh..." Sayuki scratched the back of her head, not quite wanting to recall that morning. "It was really early in the morning and I decided to go bother him by making him... well, you know how you forced him into girl's clothing during the sleepover? Yeah... except it was my school uniform. So he came out and I snapped some photos of him on my phone. And then he dragged me into the bathroom cause he didn't want to give me the chance to text those photos to you... Here they are, by the way," Sayuki added, pulling out her phone and showing Kuroki the images. Kuroki snickered, and Kakura appeared to cackle, drawing many odd looks that they all ignored, already used to being the center of unwanted attention.

"So anyways," Sayuki continued, "Nanjirou-san locked us in the bathroom and messed with the lights so that there was a blackout. I half turned into Karupin so I could see in the dark and _not_ act like a cat, and I got the wig out of Ryoma's hair. After I turned back, I was really drained... And he just... kissed me, out of the blue."

Kuroki dropped the phone containing the images that she was laughing at and gawked at Sayuki, who returned to sipping her drink. Kakura glanced back and forth between her master and her master's friend, decidedly confused. In the end, the weasel simply curled up in Kuroki's lap, deciding that human affairs were too bothersome to even try to comprehend.

"He- you- WHAT!" Kuroki sputtered. Sayuki said nothing and waited for her words to process through Kuroki's brain.

One second... Two seconds... Three seconds... four seconds... Fi-

"OH MY GOD, IT TOOK HIM LONG ENOUGH!" Kuroki yelled, almost standing up in her excitement. "DO YOU _KNOW_ HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!" Kakura yelped and leaped out of her owner's lap, hissing at the sudden movement. Sayuki sweat dropped, wondering how long it would take for the older girl to calm down.

And she did. Promptly, as soon as she realized that the rest of the cafe had turned silent. The tennis team members that were working in the restaurant at the moment looked at her curiously, all of them making a mental note to ask one of the girls what Kuroki's sudden outburst was about.

"Anyways," Kuroki said, calming down with a sigh. "What happened after he... kissed you?"

"The lights came back on and Nanjirou-san removed the objects in front of the door, making it capable of opening," Sayuki said. "I left the bathroom but Ryoma stayed to change back into his regular clothes. Then we had breakfast and I came here."

"How awkward was the breakfast?" Kuroki asked with a twisted smirk.

"Very," Sayuki admitted. "Nobody said anything."

"Hm..." Kuroki thought, tapping her chin. "Well, let's see what we can do to improve the awkwardness. He still has to do whatever you tell him to do, right?"

"Yeah," Sayuki answered. "But I have a feeling that that would make it even more tense between us."

"Yeah, yeah," Kuroki replied absently. "I'm just seeing your options. Well, I'll think about it. In the meantime, I think you should go see Daichi or something. I gotta go meet up with someone." Sayuki nodded and stood up, waiting for Kuroki to pay. Eiji and the others said good bye to them, and the two girls went their separate ways. Sayuki thought for a moment and decided to go take Kuroki's advice. She pulled out her phone again and dialed a number.

"Hey Daichi, are you and the others free?" Sayuki asked. "No, not Furei. Just Suigo and Kaze and you. ... Okay. I'll see you at the park. ... No, not that one. You know, the one near the library? ... Yeah, okay. See you guys there." She hung up on her friend and pocketed her cell phone with a sigh, and began to make her way towards the appointed place.

* * *

Ryoma tapped the desk with his pencil impatiently, attempting to work out a math problem on a sheet that was due the next day. To his frustration, the answer eluded him. He was sure that all the work was right, but the answer made no sense when he plugged it back into the equation. With a growl of irritation, he pushed everything away and left his desk, collapsing on his bed. He rested the back of his hand on his forehand, stretching out his other arm as if to touch the ceiling.

"Ah, what did I do...?" he murmured. A quiet meow came from the doorway. "Hey Karupin," he muttered, looking down but not sitting up. The cat leaped up onto the bed and pawed at his hand. Ryoma sat up, poking the cat.

"Karupin, what do you think I should do?" Ryoma asked quietly. The cat stared at him, then gave a purr. Ryoma sighed and fell back onto the bed.

"Sayuki..."

* * *

"Hey Dai-kun, Sui-kun, Kaze," Sayuki announced with false cheer as she arrived at the park where she was meeting her three friends.

"Sayuki, we know when you're faking," Daichi answered with a sigh. "Don't even try. What's wrong?"

"Yeah, you don't call us out unless you've talked with Kuroki and she tells you to call us," Suigo added, munching on some chips. "Want some?" he offered.

"No thanks," Sayuki replied. "Yeah... Something's up, but I don't really wanna talk about it right now."

"Later then," Daichi said with a kind smile. "We'll always be here to talk to. Do you wanna just go do some stuff to get your mind off of it?"

"Mm, yeah, that'd be nice." Sayuki grinned. "Thanks guys."

"Daichi already said, we're always here," Kaze said simply, patting her on the head. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

Ryoma sighed, burying his face in his arms. He glanced up slightly, staring aimlessly into space, sighing again.

Ryoma's mother and Nanako exchanged confused and worried glances. Ryoma had been doing that for... Well, a while. Ever since Sayuki had gone to meet up with Kuroki. Ryoma glanced at the clock from the corner of his eye. That had been an hour ago. He sighed again, looking like a dejected puppy.

Which was the main problem. Echizen Ryoma _never_ looks like a dejected puppy. Arrogant and cocky? Sure. Confused? Maybe. Worried? Sometimes. Depressed? Hell no.

"Ryoma-kun, what's the matter?" Nanako tried. He apparently didn't hear, since she simply got a sigh in reply and he stared at the table without looking at it.

Ryoma's mother cleared her throat pointedly and kicked Nanjirou, who dropped his magazine in surprise and muttered about anger issues. The woman merely ignored his complaints and jerked her head over to Ryoma's direction.

"Yeah, I got it, I got it," Nanjirou grumbled. He stood up, mumbling to himself, questioning his thought process when he married such a woman, and walked over to Ryoma. "C'mon kid, snap out of it. Where's the cocky little kid, eh?"

The former cocky little kid's response was to give his father a half-hearted glare and leave to go to his room, where he could sigh to himself without being disturbed.

Nanjirou looked sheepishly at his wife. "Hey, I tried."

* * *

"Son of a- He did WHAT to you!" Suigo yelled.

"Stop screaming and shrieking," Kaze mumbled quietly. He wasn't quite surprised about this... All the signs had been there, as Kuroki had once told him, it was about time after all. Suigo and Daichi, however, hadn't taken the news very well. Also as expected. Sayuki winced at the volume of the trickster's voice.

"Don't say that I scream and shriek," Suigo hissed at his friend, still riled up from the fact that Ryoma had _dared_ to kiss Sayuki.

"Why, because it doesn't sound manly enough?" Daichi muttered. "But Sayuki, you just... Let him?" The anger was there in his voice, as though he was barely restraining himself, but he was much better at it than Suigo. Sayuki shrugged in reply.

"Like I said, I had just strained myself by trying to go half cat and half human. It's not exactly the easiest thing," Sayuki explained. "As someone once said, 'With great power... Comes the great need to take a nap.'"

"Uh huh," Daichi mumbled. The last part of what she had said just hit him. "Wait, wait, you aren't actually going to fall asl-"

"Kinda late, Dai," Suigo answered for him, looking pointedly at the girl asleep in his lap. Daichi groaned, resisting the urge to face palm.

"Kaz, call Kuroki... Sayuki's gonna have to crash her house tonight."

* * *

The phone was ringing, and it was disturbing Nanjirou's reading, much to his displeasure. When it became obvious that no one else was going to pick up the phone (what with Ryoma in his current state and Nanako and Nanjirou's wife out shopping), he went to answer the phone with a resigned and disgruntled sigh.

"Hello?"

"Oh hey, it's Kuroki. Is that Ryo-ryo's old man?" the voice crackled over the receiver.

"The Weasel Girl, what's up?" Nanjirou asked in slight surprise. "If you want Sayuki, I thought she was with you. If you want Ryoma, I have my doubts that he'll respond to you."

"Nah, just wanted to tell you that Sayuki's gonna be crashing at my place tonight, so you don't need expect her home tonight. She might be staying the next day too. Just thought I'd let you know so y'all wouldn't drive yourselves crazy with worry... One little arrogant brat in particular," she added. Nanjirou nodded with understanding.

"Yes, I know what you mean," he said with a smirk. "Well, thanks for the info. Oh, and before you go."

"Plotting?" Kuroki asked. "To get them together?" Nanjirou grinned.

"Of course."

"Good, cause I've got a plan that I might need a bit of help with..."

* * *

Ryoma finally descended down to the kitchen when his mother burst into his room and told him to have dinner with the rest of them... Or else. He didn't care to have his mother finish that threat.

Something was off when he arrived in the dining room though. It took him a fifth of a second to figure out what was wrong, and he blurted out the question before he could even process the thought.

"Where's Sayuki?" Somehow, by some lucky reflex, he had managed to keep his voice level and relatively normal, as if he was simply curious and questioning. That didn't stop Nanjirou from smirking knowingly at him and it certainly didn't stop his mother and Nanako from exchanging a knowing, "Oh."

"Kuroki called while you were sulking in your room and told us that Sayuki's staying at her house tonight," Nanjirou explained. Ryoma closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opened them again and sat down.

"You'll see her again at school tomorrow," Nanako reminded him reassuringly. He nodded absently, knowing to himself that her distance from him was his own fault, and that even at school he wouldn't be happy.

After all, they were supposed to be strangers.

* * *

Ryoma woke up the next day and found himself waiting for someone to start yelling at him to wake up. All he was greeted with was the sound of his father snoring, able to be heard even at a distance. His first thought was why Sayuki hadn't burst into his room yet, annoyingly cheerful at such an early hour. Then he remembered that she wasn't here... and exactly _why_ she wasn't. He sighed at the depressing thought and the fact that he had confirmed his suspicions that life without Sayuki would be very different.

He literally dragged himself out of his bed to begin his daily routine... which seemed weird without the girl bugging him every minute to hurry up and get downstairs to eat breakfast. He wondered if he was going crazy, missing the company of a person he had considered annoying more than 60% of the time. The other 40% or so of the time, she had been... He found himself struggling for a word to describe it.

"You're up early," his mother commented in slight surprise. "Breakfast is ready and on the table. You should get ready and leave for school soon." Ryoma nodded silently, sitting down at the table and painfully aware all throughout breakfast that there was one chair, usually occupied by an energetic, dualistic girl, was empty.

He finished more quickly than he would've liked and he grabbed his school and tennis bags, laced up his shoes, and left the house with a quick goodbye. He almost flinched at the sight of Sayuki's roller skates with the owner not there to tell him to wait as she strapped her feet into the skates. He shook his head, knowing that he needed to calm down. He gave one last glance over his shoulder at the roller skates and left, finding Momo waiting expectantly outside.

Ryoma reached his senpai and hopped on his bike with a quick greeting, waiting for Momo to leave. And waited, and waited, and waited...

"Are you going to go?" Ryoma asked impatiently. Momo looked at him questioningly.

"Where's Sayuki?" he asked. Ryoma closed his eyes, having his own question from last night repeated was surprisingly painful, though he should have expected it.

"She's..." He had to clear his throat to continue. "She went to see Kuroki yesterday and decided to stay the night over there. Let's go." Momo took note of his friend's strange behavior but didn't question it, knowing the gist of what his little friend was going through. Momo resisted the urge to smirk triumphantly because Ryoma seemed truly pained and confused at what was going on.

Leaving the problem at hand alone for the moment, Momo decided to oblige to Ryoma's earlier request and began to pedal his way to Seigaku.

_If he's this affected by her just not being him for a night, then if Sayuki was gone for longer... _Momo thought to himself. _That wouldn't be good... That just wouldn't be good at all._

* * *

_Momo is so right.. That would not be good at all. D:_

_OK, enough of the depressed Prince of Tennis. We'll have this awkward problem fixed by next chapter. D: Because Ryoma and depressed do not go in the same sentence unless it's something like, "Ryoma just beat that guy's butt in tennis and now the guy is depressed."_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	22. Chapter 22

_Aw-yeee! Chapter 22's up!_

_Awkwardness will be settled, but some girl stuff is coming up ahead. :O_

_And Kuroki's evil plan is not revealed yet. That's coming up... Next chapter, I believe._

_Anyways, updates should be coming every week to 10 days at the latest! :D_

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

_..._kushishishi~ :D

~Ryuu

* * *

Interaction between Ryoma and Sayuki was less awkward than he had expected. Mostly because the interaction was nonexistent.

They were supposed to only know each other as classmates in the first place, which didn't help anybody except for the two to avoid each other. But usually Sayuki would manage to get a few minutes with Ryoma and the others during lunch, and then after that scurry back to Sakuno and Kuroki and Tomo and Daichi and the others. That didn't happen today, and there were some worried questions that Ryoma gave very vague answers to.

Ryoma gave a slight sigh and dug his hands in his pockets, surprised when he felt something bump against his hand. He pulled out... Sayuki's eraser.

"Wow, seriously?" he muttered, turning it over in his hand. "Always at some random time like this. Don't even remembering borrowing it..." He tried to think of ways he could've gotten it, but he couldn't remember.

"Oh, is _that_ what she sneaked into your pocket?" Momo asked, plucking the eraser out of Ryoma's hands. "Huh. Odd choice."

"What do you mean, 'sneaked into my pocket'?" Ryoma asked, turning around and snatching it out of his senpai's hand. Momo raised his hands defensively.

"I dunno, I just saw her drop something in your pocket when you passed by her to get to us at lunch," Momo explained. Ryoma remembered that he _had_ felt something brush against his side, but that was a daily occurrence with all the people so he hadn't thought much of it.

"She could be a pretty good darn pickpocket," Momo said thoughtfully. "Anyways, what are you gonna do with that?" Ryoma suddenly got an idea. _Sneaking messages..._

"I gotta find Kimiharu..."

* * *

Sakuno left the classroom, looking for a vending machine. Tomo was apparently thirsty but refused to leave as long as she was in the company of Suigo, Daichi, and Kaze, so Sakuno was forced to go look for a drink for her.

"Eep!" She was startled back into the classroom, then dragged out into the hallway by none other than Ryoma. "Ryoma-ku-!"

"Sh!" he hissed, covering her mouth with his hand as quickly as he could, his eyes darting to the classroom. No one inside seemed to have noticed, so he relaxed and removed his hand.

"What is it?" she asked with a whisper, afraid to speak too loudly.

"I, uh... Can you call Kimiharu out for me?" Ryoma asked, reaching into his pocket to finger the eraser that now had a note attached to it. He was tempted to just hand it over to the long-braided girl and tell _her_ to give it to Sayuki, but he was afraid that the Ryuuzaki girl's friend would've gotten suspicious.

"Yes!" she answered immediately, eager to help him in any way. She _really_ liked the, "Can you... for me?" part. She quickly became her usual shy self. "Ah, but do you mind if I take a moment though? Tomo wanted a drink, and..." Without a second thought, Ryoma tossed her his Ponta that he wouldn't drink at lunch because it reminded him of the times that he drank the same soda with Sayuki... Everything reminded him of Sayuki lately.

"On one condition," he said while Sakuno was still mesmerized by the fact that Ryoma had just made her task so much easier (she really didn't know if there even were any vending machines on campus).

"Yes?" she piped up, deciding immediately that today had to be the best day ever. Which was untrue, because for Sayuki and Ryoma, it was currently the most "OH MY GOD WHY WON'T THIS NIGHTMARE END ALREADY" day ever.

"Don't let anyone know that it's me," Ryoma said quickly, not wanting to explain. "Just say that someone wants him out in the hall or something. Try to be vague."

"Okay," Sakuno answered immediately. Some rational part of her was wondering why, but the rest of her was just ecstatic that she could be of use to Ryoma. "I'll have him out in a moment!" she said, dashing into the classroom.

"Sakuno, that was fast!" Tomo exclaimed, catching the soda can that her friend tossed her on pure reflex.

"Yeah, a classmate I met in the hall told me that he didn't want his drink so he gave it to me," Sakuno explained, unwilling to lie to her friend. With little cries of, "Oh my gosh! This is the same soda that Ryoma-sama likes to drink!" from Tomo in the background, Sakuno quickly told Kaze that there was someone who wanted to talk to him in the hall.

Without a word, Kaze stood up and left the classroom, immediately encountering Ryoma who was still in the same spot where Sakuno had left him waiting.

"I figured it was you when the annoying girl mentioned that the soda her friend gave her was the same kind you liked to drink," Kaze murmured.

"Yeah, I can't be bothered to remember their names either," Ryoma replied, understanding.

"It's Sayuki isn't it," Kaze said, suddenly jumping to business. Ryoma blinked, surprised at the sudden change of topic. He had always found it hard to keep up with Kaze, him being a little eccentric.

"Uh... yeah," Ryoma said, pulling out the eraser. "Could you give this back to her?"

Silently, Kaze took the eraser, looking slightly surprised when he saw it. The note attached seemed to be entirely ignored as he turned it over in his hand, examining it. "Heh, this is kinda ironic... This is the eraser I got Sayuki a couple years ago. Didn't know she still had it." With that comment, he returned to the classroom.

"Well that's done," Ryoma muttered to himself with a sigh. "I've done the best I can do..."

* * *

"Sayuki," Kaze called as he walked inside the classroom. She glanced up questioningly and nodded her thanks when he slipped the eraser into her hand, note attached. Nobody noticed as Kaze continued to chat about something unimportant. When no one was looking, Sayuki quickly sneaked a glance down at the note, a small smirk appearing on her face when she read the content.

_'If you want an apology, here it is. I'd like to explain to you why the hell that happened, but I'm kinda clueless myself._

_But hey, at least I got to prove you wrong. First kisses aren't like CPR, eh?'_

* * *

Thanks to tennis practice after school, things were pretty much back to normal. Coach Ryuuzaki had decided to finally put the Doubles pair Sayuki and Ryoma to work again, their second practice match being against the Golden Pair, and since they were forced to cooperate anyways, the two willingly got together as friends again. And besides, Sayuki had to eye-change into Ryoma anyways, so she could understand a little bit of what he was thinking. They did reasonably well against Oishi and Eiji, but since the two were still new to Doubles, this being only the second time for Sayuki, and since the Golden Pair were so determined to win, they still ended up losing.

"Neh, good match," Sayuki grinned, adjusting her cap and shaking hands with Eiji.

"Mada mada dane-nya!" Eiji grinned cheekily, mocking Ryoma. Ryoma rolled his eyes and walked away, adjusting the strings of his tennis racket as he went. Sayuki followed to grab some water.

"Good job," Ryuuzaki said with a grin. These two were turning out to be an even better pair than she had expected.

"Than-" Sayuki began, but she froze. "Oh. Shit."

"What's up?" Ryoma asked. Sayuki usually didn't swear for nothing.

"I gotta find Kuroki," was her only reply. "Ryuuzaki-sensei, I'll be right back!" she yelled, running out of the tennis courts.

"O... Kay?" Ryoma said, raising an eyebrow.

"Wonder what her problem is," Momo commented, walking up behind Ryoma and making his kohai jump in surprise.

"No idea," Ryoma murmured.

* * *

"Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down." Kuroki was staring at her best friend who seemed to be slightly flustered. "You haven't explained anything. Is this about Ryoma?"

Sayuki shook her head no. "Kinda already fixed that problem."

"Alright, then what's the problem?" Kuroki asked.

"It's... A little embarrassing," Sayuki said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh, stop pussyfooting around and just spit it out."

"You never were one to sugar coat things," Sayuki muttered. "My bindings aren't going to work for tennis competitions."

"Your what?" Kuroki asked, still confused.

"Bindings!" Sayuki hissed. "I'm not a freaking flat-chested kid, OK? I have to bind my chest all the time if I have to pretend to be a boy during the tennis matches, and it's seriously not going to work!"

"Sports bra?" Kuroki suggested. "And what's the problem with your chest bindings?" Sayuki snorted.

"Sports bras don't hide anything," she said, rolling her eyes. "The chest bindings work for really easy matches, but if I start sweating a lot it gets uncomfortable. They start slipping or they start sticking to me, and that's seriously not fun. And I can't bind them too tightly or it gets hard to breath and they limit my playing abilities."

"Hm... That is a problem," Kuroki murmured. "You didn't bring this up until now though?"

"It wasn't a problem until now and I had no idea either," Sayuki muttered. "I don't think it'll be a really big problem until we get to the really big matches, like the inter-school ranking matches or the competitions, but it'd be nice to have a solution soon."

"Yeah, I'll think about it," Kuroki said reassuringly. "You should tell the coach too, just to let her know." Sayuki nodded and went back to Seigaku to inform Ryuuzaki about the discovered problem.

Ryoma and Momo were still left in the dark, though, for obvious reasons. Sayuki's vague answer to their questions when they asked ("Use your freaking imagination, not in the mood to talk right now,") didn't exactly help.

"Drop the subject and get back to working on your Doubles," Ryuuzaki said threateningly. Ryoma and Momo obeyed quickly.

After all who wants, angry, irritable, scary old woman after their blood just because someone had to leave for a couple of minutes? People have their reasons... That they just didn't want to share sometimes.

But who says that secrets stay secret for very long? Especially when you live in the same house.

* * *

Kuroki came over again that day after school to talk with Sayuki about her little "chest bindings" problem. Ryoma, understandably, was once again left in the dark. He was a little bit sulky about that (emphasis on "a little bit" because Echizen Ryoma is never just _sulky_ of course) and he went to his room to do homework and whatever else he did in his room.

Ryoma knocked on the door of Sayuki's room, wanting to ask her to borrow her eraser again. He knew he really should've found his own or gotten a new one by now, but he kept forgetting and couldn't for the life of him find his own eraser. He could've sworn he once saw it in Karupin's mouth, and he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to use it again even if he found it.

And he knocked when he normally would've just barged into anyone else's room because... Well, when you live under the same roof as someone of the opposite sex, you just learn these things through the process of very embarrassing trial and error.

When no one came to answer the door, he supposed that they were too into their conversation to hear him knocking, so he yelled, "Sayuki, Kuroki, I'm coming in!" and opened the door.

Which was followed by chaos and things flying around the room, accompanied by yells of, "HOLY SHIT RYOMA, GIVE US SOME WARNING NEXT TIME!"

When the chaos finally settled down into a calm seen that his eyes and brain could process, he muttered, "I knocked but nobody answered."

"Well knock louder next time," Kuroki said irritably. "What do you want this time?"

"I need to borrow-" Ryoma was interrupted by Sayuki grabbing the eraser off her desk and throwing it at him. He caught it with pure reflex, still blinking with surprise when Sayuki shoved him out of her room with a, "Get your own freaking eraser already, and knock louder when you come back to return it!"

Cue the door slamming behind him with the click of it being locked.

Ryoma stood there staring at the door, then sighed, shaking his head. "Girls..."

* * *

Ryoma did knock louder this time. He knocked very loudly. And then he yelled that he was going to open the door when nobody replied this time either. He stood their waiting, counting three seconds until the door flew open with Sayuki leaning against the doorway as if she had just finished reordering her entire room in those three seconds. In other words, exhausted.

"Am I allowed to know what the hell you guys are doing in there, or is it a girl thing?" Ryoma said dryly, dropping the eraser in Sayuki's hand.

"Girl thing," the two chirped together.

"Is it something I need to know about, though?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Possibly," Kuroki admitted. "I don't think you'd like it though."

"... Am I involved in it?" he asked, not liking that last part.

"Depending on how you view the problem, yes and no," Sayuki said. "But even if it's yes, you're just a very, very, little part of it."

"It was a problem?" Ryoma said, raising and eyebrow. Realization hit him. "Is this about why you ran off during tennis practice today?"

"Yes, yes, and why are you asking so many freaking questions?" Kuroki countered. "Are you seriously that curious?"

"Maybe," he answered. Sayuki rolled her eyes.

"You wanna know that badly?" she said grumpily. Ryoma realized that Sayuki could very well be in "negative" mode right now, and decided that it wasn't a very good idea to ask. But she continued before he could say no.

"We're trying to figure out a way to bind my chest without giving me discomfort or limiting my tennis playing abilities. Happy? Now leave."

"..." Silently, Ryoma turned around and retreated to his room.

Yup. It's official. Secrets are never secrets when your classmate/friend of an opposite gender lives under the same roof as you.

* * *

_... Awkward much? Don't worry, they pretty much pretend that this conversation never happened later on, so we don't have to deal with an awkward, sulky Ryoma anymore. :D_

_I realized that "negative" Sayuki hasn't been appearing much. Don't worry for those who love her ebil, sarcastic side (does anyone actually like her negative personality? O.o), cause lots of that is coming up in the next few chapters._

_You guessed it. Sayuki's gonna be pissed when Kuroki's evil plan is revealed. :D_

_Thanks for the patience and support and thanks for reading! :3 Y'all make me happy._

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	23. Chapter 23

_AND FINALLY, AFTER ALL THE SUSPENSE, KUROKI'S EVIL PLAN WILL BE REVEALED._

_Sorry for the delay, blah blah blah... Why are you still reading this? Hurry up and go find out what Sayuki's evil best friend has planned!_

_GO DO IT. LYK, NAO._

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! VAMPIRES SUCK IS SOON IN THEATRES! YUSH! WOOOOOOOOOOT! ...dammit school's starting soon...T_T NOOOOOOOOOO!

~Ryuu

P.S. Ignore this insane teenage girl. xD  
P.P.S. Fyi to the twilight ppl out dere: Which team r u on, Jacob or Edward?  
P.P.P.S. I choose the werewolf~ x3 WOOOOOOOOF!

* * *

After an hour (in which more eraser-borrowing and Sayuki and Kuroki speedily finishing their homework in a record time of ten minutes occurred), Kuroki and Sayuki came up with a solution for the younger girl's problem. Kuroki was once again called home by her older twin sisters ("GOD WOMAN, ARE YOU TRYING TO STARVE US OR SOMETHING! WE HAVEN'T EATEN SINCE YESTERDAY! Oh, and by the way, did Sayuki and Ryoma make up with making out yet?") and after saying farewell to her friend, Sayuki joined Ryoma and his family for dinner.

"Have you figured out a way to solve your... problem yet?" Ryoma said carefully, not knowing if she was still in her negative mode.

"Yeah," Sayuki muttered, wishing that the chopsticks currently in her hand were a fork. The pointy utensil made for much more satisfying stress relievers. It's fun stabbing forks at your food, especially when you're mad. Ryoma caught the tone of her voice, figured she was still pissed about him barging into her room so many times, and decided to leave her alone for the rest of the day.

"Gochisousama," Ryoma said, standing up. Sayuki did the same and the two retreated to their own rooms. Rinko exchanged a glance with Nanako.

"They sure made up quickly," Rinko commented, taking their empty dishes to the sink. Nanjirou grinned behind his newspaper.

"It just means that those two might be a perfect match," he said nonchalantly. His smirk grew. And the two were going to get together very quickly if his plan with Kuroki was a success...

* * *

"Akai, Aoiri," Kuroki called from her room. The two sisters immediately recognized the mischief that was laced with the two words, and they skipped off to their younger sister's room to see what fun that she had thought up this time.

"Who-" Akai began.

"Are we messing with this time?" Aoiri finished for her sister. "And what-"

"Are we doing?" Akai completed with a smirk.

"You guys need to stop doing that or I'm going to officially think that you two are physic aliens," Kuroki scolded. "But anyways... We're gonna be messing with our favorite little Sayuki-"

"But Sayuki's such a little angel," Akai said with a gasp.

"We can't possibly do anything to her," Aoiri agreed. "Unless we're doing it to get her-"

"-And Ryoma," Kuroki continued, as if there were no interruptions. Akai and Aoiri had their little, "Ooooohh," moment and grinned at their sister.

"We're in," they chimed in unison. "Tell us the plan."

* * *

When Sayuki walked onto the rooftop at lunch the next day at school with a frown on her face, Ryoma's first thought was that she was _still _in her negative mode (cue shuddering at the memory of her random, PMS-like anger that morning) and that he and Momo needed to get_away_. And then he remembered that negative Sayuki doesn't frown. She scowls.

There's a very distinct difference between a frowning Sayuki and a scowling one. The frowning one looks upset. The scowling one looks like she could rip out your intestines and feed them back to you without even blinking.

"What's up?" Ryoma asked, popping some food into his mouth. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was eating, so he was surprised when Momo (angrily) informed him that he had just snagged some of Momo's food while Momo had been leaning over to attempt to sneak some of _his _food.

After that little scuffle was sorted out, Sayuki sat down next to the two of them, a bit of her usual grin back from watching the two boys fight over their food.

"Yeah, so Sayuki-chan, what's wrong?" Momo asked, his mouth almost full.

"Ah..." Sayuki was frowning again. Ryoma decided that he didn't like a frowning Sayuki, for reasons very different as to why he didn't like a scowling Sayuki. "Kuroki didn't show up at lunch today and I dunno why. I asked Kaze and the others too, but they didn't know anything."

"So... You ask _us_?" Ryoma asked, raising an eyebrow. Sayuki shrugged.

"Not really, I didn't think that you'd know anything," she answered. "Just thought that I'd let you know, because I have a feeling that she might be planning something."

"Yeah, and we're apparently her favorite targets for pranks," Ryoma muttered. "Thanks for the warning, I'll keep my guard up... Like Captain Tezuka always tells us to." He didn't feel weird about calling Tezuka and Kaidoh captain. None of the old Seigaku members had bothered to break the habit of adding the "-buchou", and since he hadn't told them to stop... Well, old habits die hard.

"Alright, that's pretty much all I needed to tell you guys," Sayuki said, standing up and dusting herself up. "I better get back to the classroom before the others miss me." Ryoma nodded. The old "pretend-to-be-strangers" rule at work again. It was tiresome at most times, but what can you do against fangirls?

Ryoma sighed. He was glad that there was at least _one _non-crazy female at his school. The moment Sayuki turned fangirl, he was going to commit suicide.

He glanced oddly at his senpai, who was now snickering and giggling like a mad person... A very happy mad person.

"Yeah, you better try and keep your guard up," Momo laughed. "Because I really don't think that you two will see this next one coming."

* * *

"Alright, Blue, Red, you there?" Kuroki whispered into her walkie-talkie.

"Hey Black, how you doing?" Akai's voice chirped.

"Black, how's your ankle?" Aoiri's worried voice crackled over the receiver.

"Neh," Kuroki grunted. "It kinda hurts but I'll be OK. I'm just gonna stay at home for the day... Sprained ankles aren't cool. Where did you guys get the walkie-talkies anyways?"

"Told ya that spraining your ankle wasn't a good idea," Akai piped up. "But anyways, we kinda snagged these little babies... Nothing illegal, cross our hearts and hope to live. We just thought that they'd be cooler than just using cell phones... Besides, cell phones don't do three-way conversations." Aoiri's sigh carried over to Kuroki's ears.

"Anyways," she said, interrupting her sister before she began rambling again. "We got Momo and Eiji in on the plan. They know their parts."

"Red, these walkie-talkies _better _be legal," Kuroki hissed. "And Blue, what about the other one?"

"Mm... Fates are on our side," Aoiri murmured. "The Tezuka boy is apparently down with a fever. Everything should be good. Momo called a little earlier saying that Sayuki warned Ryo-Ryo about an incoming prank. Momo kinda hinted that it'd be big, but Ryoma apparently didn't think anything of it. We should be safe."

"Momo and Eiji are gonna be there when we give 'em the killer to make sure they don't just ignore us and walk away," Akai giggled. "In any case, our plan is moving along smoothly. They'll be shocked in no time... Are you sure you don't want to come and see their faces for yourself, Black?"

"As much as I'd like to, I'll settle for the video you guys are gonna take," Kuroki said with a sigh. "This ankle kind of hurts..."

"Alright, we're moving out," Aoiri announced. "You take care of yourself... And no matter what kind of prank we're gonna pull, don't fall down the stairs just to sprain your ankle again, OK?"

"OK," Kuroki said. "You guys have fun."

"We will!" the sisters called together. There was static, then Kuroki turned off her walkie-talkie with a content smile on her face.

"Oh, you two will have _never _seen this one coming... Enjoy the little surprise."

* * *

When Ryoma and Sayuki walked onto the tennis courts and found Akai and Aoiri waiting for them with Momo and Eiji at their sides, the two were extremely wary. Especially since the four mischievous people were grinning.

"Akai-san, Aoiri-san, what brings you here today?" Sayuki asked cautiously. Their grins grew wider, if that was even possible. Ryoma and Sayuki resisted the urge to turn and run. And besides, Momo and Eiji had moved behind them so they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

"Ah, well you must have noticed that our little sister didn't show up today," Aoiri said calmly, her grin never disappearing. "It turns out that the day before she had tripped down the stairs in an unusual display of clumsiness and managed to sprain her ankle."

"OK..." Sayuki said, worried for her friend. "Did you guys just come here to tell us that?" Despite her concern for her friend, she still couldn't shake the feeling that they were planning something behind her back.

"Oh, right!" Akai exclaimed. "You know that really stiff ice cube guy that never really talks? He's down with a fever. Kuroki heard and she was worried about the Cinderella play cause the school's festival thingy is taking place the day after tomorrow."

Ryoma and Sayuki twitched. They could see where this one was going...

"So she figured that since you guys came to their practices so many times that you memorized all their lines, you might as well fill in for them," Aoiri continued nonchalantly. "Tezuka-kun's fever apparently isn't going to go down until after the play, and Kuroki has orders from the doctor not to do any activities that will strain her ankle for the next week, at least."

There was silence. Ryoma's face was completely blank while Sayuki's eye was twitching so much that it was dangerously close to becoming a tic.

"I knew it," she finally muttered. "I knew you guys were up to _something_. And- Akai-san, is that a camera I see in your hands?"

"Yup!" the twins said cheerfully, revealing the video camera that had been secretly recording their entire conversation. Momo and Eiji burst out into evil laughter as Akai and Aoiri explained that Kuroki wanted to see the reactions that her little plan had caused.

"Damn," Ryoma muttered. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Of course~" the four participants in the prank chirped together.

"Kikumaru-senpai, what are you doing here anyways?" Sayuki asked, sweat dropping. "You should be at the high school tennis club or something." He shrugged in response.

"Nothing better to do?" he offered. "I didn't want to miss this fun, nya!~"

Ryoma and Sayuki exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

"Damn you, Kuroki," Sayuki muttered. "I can't believe my stupid best friend is out to prank me like this..."

"Neither can I," Ryoma answered.

The twins merely grinned. Momo laughed and went to go grab his tennis racket while Eiji patted the two kids cheerfully and skipped off to high school for whatever reason.

"And we'll be getting this to our evil little sister!" Akai said cheerfully, waving the video camera around. "See you two at the play rehearsal tomorrow!"

There was peaceful silence.

"... Hey... Do they have our costume sizes?"

* * *

_Click. _Kuroki closed the Movie Player on her laptop, nodding with satisfaction. Her sisters were standing behind her, grinning at having seen the scene played again. It was no less amusing the second time around, perhaps even more so since they knew what was going to happen.

Don't ask me how these things work, they just do.

"Nice job, you two," Kuroki said, turning to the twins behind her. "Now all we have to do is make sure that they don't ditch on the rehearsal and the play..."

"I hear Sayuki mention something that is worth thinking about as we left," Aoiri piped up. "Do they have costumes for the two?"

"No..." Kuroki said slowly. Then she remembered who was in charge of the wardrobe and she smiled, waving off the problem. "But they will, don't worry. The girls making the costumes will probably be ecstatic when they see who's filling in for me and the ice cube. In any case, you don't have to worry about that."

"And are you sure that they remember all of your lines?" Aoiri prompted. She wanted to make sure that the play went smoothly... mainly so that she and her sisters could make fun of them about it later.

"I've heard them mocking me and the ice cube," Kuroki answered dryly. "They've said the entire script before, so yes, I'm pretty darn sure."

"Uh... Kuro-chan?" Akai said, remembering something. "Sayuki-chan can't exactly... act."

"... Oh. Yeah, that would be a problem."

**

* * *

**

_Chapter 23 is a little shorter than my average chapter (not counting the super crappy earlier ones) but hey, at least your curiosity was satisfied, right?_

_And hey... The suspense is over, now's the time for fun. :3_

_I LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH. X3  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

_And I almost forgot. Since this chapter was kind of short and I've been meaning to do this for a while, I'm gonna reply to some anonymous reviews and shout out to a few other reviewers. :3 Because I love you all so very much. And because supp3rt is love._

_Random: Very fist reviewer. :3 HAI. You're the one who started reviewing first and pretty much what encouraged me to continue. Also, I like how you think. Confusion, eh, ignore it and continue reading anyways. XD I do that too. And yes, I was talking about Sayuki. :3 Just to satisfy your curiosity._

_bran626: YES. SOMEONE HAS HIT THE HEAD ON THE NAIL. I mean, nail on the head. But basically, the major problem is that Sayuki can't find herself... Making her a nobody. You're the second reviewer and also motivated me to keep going._

_Nitrea: I'm still waiting for a moment where I need a weird joke. D: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. :3_

_xburner21: Thank you for dropping by. :D As always, I'll do my best to get these chapters up as often as possibly, but Google is currently hating me and I am hating it. We'll have our little dispute settled soon enough... :D_

_vivvy09: OMG ARE YOU OK! *gives air tank* Can you breathe? XD I feel responsible because I made you suffocate from laughter! *throws cookie* Hope that and a new chapter makes you feel better. Or did I just make the laughter problem worse? :/_

_xx 20violet20 xx__: Yeeaaah, a RyoSayu lover! Glad you love the story! :3  
_

_Kouyan: Ah, one of my loyal reviewers. :3 You love Kuroki, and I love Kuroki, so I love you. :D KUROKI, FEEL THE LOOVE._

_MoonlightChaos: Haha, another one! Where do you guys keep on coming from? Just kidding. XP Chapters are coming, thanks for waiting. :D Kuroki+Tezuka+Acting=... Love? :\_

_Shingami's-Rusty-Death-Scythe: SKYYY-CHAAN! I love you! I love you as much as you love this story and then some. Thanks for all the support. :D I was torn between making you wait for this chapter (just to be evil XD) and putting it up right away so you can see Kuroki's evil plan, so I decided to compromise and go for the usual update. I hope you liked it! :3 Sayu's not gonna be happy... Negative Sayuki, coming right up next chapter for a certian Sky-chan!  
_

_Sayonara Yasashii Akumu: I LOVE YOU. OH MY GOD, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. *cough cough* Yeah, I'm not lesbian, don't worry guys. But, Sayonara (goodbye, lol :3), YOU'RE SO AWESOME. You review to like, every chapter, and you're one of the biggest reasons why I try to get these chapters up so frequently. Without you, I think FSC would be like... a chapter a month. And that would be sad. D: PICKLE. Sayu's missed you. :3 (I'm still wondering how I set your face burn with laughter. Oh well. XP)_

_Hairband: Alright, we're finally down to our last one! And this is an awesome one, so I gotta go put on my "serious face". *puts on Serious Face*_

_Hey Hairband. Ah, so I see you've read my little comment about "letting sixth graders with crappy writing skills write fanfiction" or something like that. Yes, I began writing this story while in the 6th grade, but I am soon going to be starting 8th grade (time flies... what can I say?). So I'm not exactly sure when exactly I wrote the part that you're talking about, but I greaty appreciate the comment. I love the percentage. :3_

_Sayuki's eyes are something that are rather diffucult to explain. It's one of those things that makes more sense in my head than it does on a computer screen. I've attempted to explain it already by calling it a mutation, but that's not the entire story. I'll try to explain it more when the time comes, though I'm not sure that it'll make as much sense as I'd like it to. The tennis thing, hopefully that'll make more sense because I have that explained in my head as well._

_All in all, I'm glad you dropped by with a review. It made me double check some things in my head and plan some things out, and now FSC will hopefully turn out better because of your helpful review. The good work will be continued!_

_PHEW. *takes off serious face*_

_THIS IS A HUGE AUTHOR'S NOTE. _ But I have one more little thing before this finally ends._

_Anyone who was planning to drop a review, I have a lil question for you that you're free to answer. It is as following:_

_What do you think the title of this fanfiction (Flip Side of the Coin) means?_

_Just tack it on to the end of whatever you were gonna say if you want to answer, or feel free to PM or anything. I'll reply telling you if you have it right or not, or if you're close. :3_

_Well, I think that's it... FINALLY._

Dang you talk a lot, Imouto...=.='

_Why yes, Aneki, I do speak much. :3_


	24. Chapter 24

_YAY! NEW CHAPTER! :D_

_'Kay, first things first. I just got back from Shanghai a few days ago (12:30 Midnight on August 17th D:) so I'm still fairly jet lagged. That's why I'm up at 4:20 in the morning uploading a chapter. I woke up in the middle of the night (morning?) and I can't sleep at _all.

_Well now... where we were? Oh. Right. Kuro roped Ryo and Sayu into the play but... SAYUKI CAN'T ACT. D: Whatever will our courageous and devious Kuroki do to remedy this problem?_

_Pissed Sayuki, coming right up. :3 Not a lot of humor (except at the end :3), some drama and kind of some foreshadowing I guess.  
_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

T-T I HATE MY SCHOOL LAPTOP! WHY WON'T YOU WORK! (fyi using a different laptop) *fumes*

~Ryuu

* * *

"Hm..." Kuroki was laying on her stomach on her bed with the sheets shoved to one side. Her arms were folded under her chin like a pillow. "We have a few problems here... Sayuki can't act and Ryoma is a stubborn butt." Kuroki suddenly remembered the blackmail pictures that Sayuki had, sweat dropping. "And I have a feeling that unless I do something to make this up to her, she's gonna start doing what blackmail is supposed to do..." She sighed and rolled over.

"First things first. We gotta get Sayuki to stop relying on her eyes..."

* * *

Sayuki marched home (with her skates in hand, she didn't trust herself on wheels when she was this pissed) with a sweat dropping Ryoma trailing behind. At first, the girl had seemed as calm as he would've expected her to be, but then she apparently remembered something and immediately switched into "negative-pissed" mode. He let out a small sigh. Her negative side was popping up a lot lately... Sayuki seemed to have heard the sigh and she shot him a glare from the corner of her eye.

"We're home!" Ryoma called, slipping out of his shoes. Sayuki kicked hers off and dropped the skates, then immediately went to the phone, popping into the kitchen on the way to let the others know that she was back. Ryoma retreated to his room to work on his homework. He had a feeling that he didn't want to be near the phone at the moment.

Sayuki punched in the numbers and waited, nearly growling with impatience. When the other person finally picked up, she snarled, "KUROKI. What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

"... You're pissed aren't you," the other girl said matter-of-factly. It wasn't a question, just a simple statement.

"Of course I'm pissed," Sayuki hissed. "You _know_ I can't act worth dirt!"

"Whoa, whoa, hang on!" Kuroki said, interrupting her friend before she went any further. "And we know why you can't act, or pretend, or anything like that." There was a thoughtful pause, then she added, "You can lie better than anyone though. But anyways, we just have to fix the problem and really, isn't that we've been trying to do since forever?"

"Yeah, and we haven't succeeded. Ever," Sayuki muttered.

"Sayuki," Kuroki said seriously. "You _really_ need to stop relying on your eyes for everything. You can't act because you're too used to _being_ people, not _pretending_ to be them. And we know the side effects. You know that Suigo's parents told us that they'll get worse as you keep on using your eyes."

"I KNOW!" Sayuki yelled. Nanjirou and his wife peeked out from the kitchen, startled and worried by the sudden raise in volume. Sayuki glanced at them from the corner of her eye and quickly lowered her voice. "Kuroki, you know I know. You're the one who said that I know better than anyone else. But this time, you're the one who made the problem, on _purpose_ I might add, and I'm the one stuck with my old problem again." There was silence at the other end of the line. Sayuki took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Kuroki... You're still my best friend, and you will be no matter what kind of crap you put me through, but you're going to have to help pull me out of this prank," Sayuki said. "I know you can't do anything because of your sprained ankle, and I won't ask what you did to get that. I'll help you, but you gotta help me."

"... Sayuki, they're listening, aren't they?" Kuroki's voice crackled from the other side. Sayuki glanced again at Nanjirou and his wife and muttered an affirmative.

"Change your location. Call me on my cell when you're ready," Kuroki said. There was a click, then beeping. With a sigh, Sayuki hung up the phone and headed to her room, pulling out her cell phone and dialing the number as she went. She locked the door with a click and pressed the call button.

"Kuroki, you have an idea?" Sayuki asked when her friend picked up.

"... Yeah," Kuroki answered. "It's still gonna have to rely on you though. Sorry."

"It's fine, sorry about the yelling and crap earlier," Sayuki muttered. Guilt was flooding her. Kuroki had always been there for her, and it would be hypocritical to hate her just because she liked a good prank as much as the next person. After all, after Kuroki and Suigo, Sayuki's name would be up there on the "Watch Your Back Around These People" list.

"I went overboard this time and you know it," Kuroki said. "My idea might not work... It's kind of like meditation. And... It might still have to rely on your eyes."

"Sounds fun," Sayuki muttered. "OK, hit me with it."

* * *

Ryoma tapped his desk with his pencil, not knowing what to do now that he had finished all his homework. He was slightly worried about the yelling he had heard earlier, but it had quieted down quickly and he was left to wonder. Sighing, he stood up from his desk and went to go check on Sayuki. He knocked and found no response, so he tried the door, surprised to find it locked.

"Sayuki!" he called. There was no response for a few moments, during which worry and confusion flew through his head, and then the door opened with a click.

"Oh, hey, Ryoma," Sayuki grinned, sounding out of breath. "Sorry was... practicing. Stuff."

"For the play?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She sounded strange... And besides, normally she would have at least a good excuse or ten.

"Huh? Oh. YEAH. That."

"... Sayuki, I'm not stupid," Ryoma said. "What did you talk about with Kuroki, and what were you doing in there?" Weird... He couldn't remember the last time that Sayuki was on the defensive side in one of their... conversations? Arguments? He didn't really know what to call them. But in any case, usually it was Sayuki or Kuroki (or both of course) mocking and teasing him. Not that he was mocking her at the moment... It's just that... well, something was off.

"H-hey! What I talk about with Kuroki is none of your business!" Sayuki said defensively. Ryoma raised an eyebrow. He was expecting something like, "Neh, nothing much..." or a straight answer. Yup, something was definitely weird.

"Sayuki. You're acting weird," Ryoma stated. Better ask her what was up...

"Of course I am," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Now _that_ was something that the normal Sayuki would say...

"And that would be why?" he asked, leaning on the doorway. Better make himself comfortable, it didn't seem likely that he would get a straight answer out of her soon...

"... Ryoma, you know how Kuroki and I once told you that I can't act right?" Sayuki mumbled. He nodded an affirmative, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"It's... cause..." She sighed, obviously frustrated. She ran a hand through her hair. "You know what, come in." She stepped aside to let Ryoma into her room, then she quickly closed the door behind him, locking it once more.

"Okay..." Ryoma turned to her. "What's this all about?"

"It's just hard to explain," Sayuki muttered. "I can't act or pretend or anything like that-"

"Except for lying, of course," Ryoma interrupted, knowing that her lying skills her probably top notch.

"Yeah, yeah," Sayuki said, rolling her eyes. "It's cause I rely too much on my eyes. I rely too much on _being_ other people. I can't pretend because I'll end up becoming them."

"And that's a problem because...?" Ryoma asked. After all, isn't the real thing better than pretending?

"Ryoma..." Sayuki stared at him. "What is the color of Cinderella's eyes?"

"W-... I don't know..." He understood now. _That's_ why she couldn't act...

"I don't know either," she said matter-of-factly, shrugging. "And I can't pretend, and I can't become her. In the end, I can't act either."

"And that's what you were talking with Kuroki about," Ryoma murmured. It was kind of making sense now. So what was she doing in her room, and why had she been acting weird?

"Yup," Sayuki said. "She had an idea since I would have to act for the Cinderella thing... It's kind of like meditation or something like that."

"And how does it work?" Ryoma asked, slightly curious.

"It's, uh... Kind of hard to explain," she said sheepishly. "Hm... so I just kinda clear my mind and breath slowly and then I try to imagine what Cinderella must have been going through and how she must have felt and all that."

"You try to imagine yourself as Cinderella?" Ryoma said, trying to understand what she was saying. Sayuki nodded.

"I try to follow every thought process and the whys and all that," Sayuki said. "And after I've understood her mind to an extent, it's kind of just putting myself into her glass slippers."

"... That wasn't funny."

"Well, sor-ry," Sayuki pouted. "Now that you know, you can leave and let me do my meditating." Ryoma shook his head and sighed, reluctantly turning to leave. He fumbled with the door knob a bit, forgetting that it was locked, then opened the door to find his father towering over him. He leaped back with a grunt of surprise.

"Old man, what do you want?" Ryoma asked.

"No-thing, just wondering what you two were doing in this room... with the door locked, nonetheless," Nanjirou said with a smirk. "Anything I need to know about?"

"Nope, we were just practicing for the Cinderella play that Kuroki forced us into," Sayuki said brightly. Ryoma gave her a grateful look, which was hard because his back was currently to her. Yup, he definitely preferred the Sayuki with excuses lying around everywhere in her mind. He turned to let his dad in if he wanted. "I locked the door because my acting skills are... embarrassingly bad," Sayuki continued.

"I see," Nanjirou murmured, nodding his head. "The Weasel Girl did call me about that earlier..." Something clicked in Ryoma's head.

"... You're in on this prank too?" Ryoma asked. Nanjirou grinned.

"Well, don't let me keep you!" he said cheerfully. "Since you unlocked the door, I suppose you must have fixed your little acting problem, so you two just carry on!" With that, he left the room.

"... You know Ryoma, I'm pretty sure you're right," Sayuki muttered. "Your dad was part of this one too. Man, why are we surrounded by people who are out to get us?"

"Who knows?" he answered, shaking his head. "Who knows?"

* * *

The next day passed by too quickly, and Ryoma and Sayuki suddenly found themselves at the tennis courts, counting down the seconds until the time they had to go to the rehearsal with dread. They could squeeze in an hour of tennis practice and working on their Doubles until they had to leave. As fate would have it, that day their senpais from high school decided to drop by and see how they were doing.

"One hour," Sayuki murmured. An evil smirk that Ryoma was very familiar with appeared on her face. "More than enough time for a little bit of revenge. C'mon Ryoma, we're kicking Momo and Eiji's butts to the beginning of time." Ryoma found himself grinning.

"I like that idea," he smirked, grabbing his and Sayuki's rackets. He tossed her her racket and the two headed off.

Meanwhile, Momo was taking a quick break when he felt a chill. He exchanged a glance with Eiji, who gave him a nervous nod.

"Great," Momo muttered, resisting the urge to smack his face. "The little brats are out to get us. We're screwed."

* * *

"I feel so much better after that stress reliever," Sayuki giggled, putting her racket away and taking a quick sip of water. Ryoma agreed wholeheartedly and smirked at the pair they had just beaten.

Yup. Officially one of the best ideas ever.

"Alright, I'ma head back to the girl's locker room," Sayuki said. "Meet you at the school gate when we're done?"

"Sure," he answered. The two left to go change and met up at the gate as promised. The pair headed to the nearby high school where the dreadful rehearsal was about to take place.

"Y'know, the last time we came here, I was prepared not to laugh my ass off," Sayuki muttered dryly as they stared at the building. "Now I'm just pissed."

"C'mon, let's just get this over with," Ryoma sighed, shoulder his bags. He headed in and Sayuki did the same, muttering under her breath about blackmail. Lots and lots of it.

When the two entered, they were greeted with a familiar face.

"Kuroki, I thought you weren't supposed to leave your house...?" Sayuki asked in surprise. Kakura was perched on her friend's shoulder, purring.

"Well hey, I'm not really going to be doing any 'strenuous activity' right?" Kuroki smirked. "Unless laughing counts. I mean, after all these weeks... There's no way I could've missed this chance at payback." Sayuki and Ryoma sweat dropped. And forcing them to do this wasn't enough revenge already?

"Um... Yeah," Sayuki muttered. "Kakura, make sure she doesn't make her ankle worse by rolling around on the floor in tears as she's laughing or something like that, OK?" The weasel gave a noise of acknowledgment.

"Whatever," Kuroki said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not on crutches, it's not _that_ bad."

"More like one crutch," Ryoma pointed out. "What did you do to get that, anyways?"

"Eh, just some stuff," she said.

"... Really."

"Alright, I fell off the stairs, okay?" Kuroki answered. "Happy now? Oh, by the way, I already told the others that you guys are replacing us. Careful about the people making your costumes. They're vicious. What else should I warn you about...?" Kuroki looked thoughtful. "Oh! Ice cube's fangirls are some kind of freaky, so watch out for them too. My teacher's lazy, no need to worry about him. And yeah, that should be about it." She grinned. "Don't screw up."

"That's... helpful," Sayuki muttered, sweat dropping. "They're getting our measurements?"

"Yup, they're doing that first," Kuroki replied. "Look, here they come now. After they get crack-a-lackin' at that, you guys are supposed to start rehearsing. I think they'll be done with your costumes by then, so then you'll practice with the costumes. You should be free to go after you have all that stuff down." Sayuki and Ryoma turned to look at the costume-makers.

"They're supposedly vicious," Sayuki muttered.

"Oh c'mon, how bad could they... be..." Ryoma twitched at the sight. There seemed to be a lot more people than there should have.

"OMG, THESE TWO ARE YOUR REPLACEMENTS!" a girl squealed. Sayuki winced at the volume, and Ryoma would've done the same had he not been suddenly glomped by a random high school girl.

"THEY'RE SO KYUUUTE!" another yelled. Several others promptly agreed and proceeded to glomp the ever loving hell out of them.

"THEY'RE, LIKE, TOTALLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!" they squealed.

"Jesus Christ," Sayuki barely managed to gasp.

"They're like freaking boa constrictors," Ryoma choked out. Kuroki chuckled in the back.

"Alright y'all, settle down," she said, loud enough for them all to just barely hear. "Don' you have to get started on their costumes?"

"OMG, LIKE, LIKE, LIKE, THIS'LL BE SOOOO AWESOME!" they screamed, so excited that they almost ran off before taking the measurements. They dragged the kids off to get the numbers. The two exchanged glances, sweat dropping.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

* * *

_They act like fangirls, but don't worry, they aren't. :3 They're just very... affectionate. And they show it.  
_

_Kuro fell off the stairs. D:_

_How many people love Sayuki? How many people love Kuroki? How many people love fangirls? And how many people love eccentric costume makers?_

_Good, because a lot of the above is about to happen. :3_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	25. Chapter 25

_FWEE~ An update! :D_

_Gah, school is starting... So updates won't be coming as often, I'm afraid. D: I still have 3 chapters already written up for you guys, so I'll try and get those up for you while I keep on writing. I'll try to stick to my week-10days updates, but it's possible that I'm gonna have to change that... School just plain freaking sucks._

_On a happier note, Ryoma and Sayuki are stuck at the play rehearsal memorizing new lines and messing with costumes and all that wonderful crap while they try to convince Kuroki to visit her sick classmate, AKA Ice cube AKA Tezuka. :D_

_BTW, all the descriptions of the costumes in this chapter are courtesy of Ryuu. She's awesome. :3_

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

What can I say, I'm just that good at describing which means I'm good at creative writing essays...but also means I sorta suck at those other essays (i.e. comparisons, SATs, etc.) ***shrugs* **Altho...it took me a while to imagine what Ryo-Prince would wear...and I kept thinking tuxedo...but I don't think there were tuxedo's back in Cinderella's time... ***facepalm* **oh well xD

~Ryuu_  
_

* * *

Kuroki was chuckling when Ryoma and Sayuki were finally released from the crazy costume makers, both gasping for air. Both of their faces looked like they had just seen the most terrifying thing that both of their imaginations combined could think of.

"Like I said, vicious," Kuroki grinned. "Well, at least you came out in one piece."

"Did you guys have to go through that too?" Sayuki asked, leaning on the wall, slowly calming down as she caught her breath. Funny, the last time she came here she was trying to catch her breath too, but only because she was trying to contain her laughter. Now? Not so amused.

"Hm... It wasn't as bad as that, I think," Kuroki said thoughtfully. "Anyways, you have that problem worked out, right?" she asked, turning serious.

"It's alright, Ryoma was being nosy so I already told him," Sayuki grumbled. "No need to speak in code."

"Heh, we were practicing yesterday cause that's what we had to tell my dad to get him to go away," Ryoma mumbled. "I think she has it down. Better than when she first started out, no doubt." Ryoma shook his head with a smirk. "I didn't think someone could be _that_ bad."

"Shut up, Ryo-Ryo," Sayuki grumbled. "Don't I still have that bet on you? I can still make you do whatever I want."

"..." That shut him up. Kuroki was snickering.

"Hey, remember what happened the last time you told him to do something?" she smirked. The two glared at her.

"Alright you two, c'mon, it's work time! Kuroki, quit talking to them."

"Whatever you say, teach," she yelled back rolling her eyes. "Go on, you two. Have fun... I know I will," she added with a smirk. Ryoma looked exasperated and Sayuki merely shook her head, sighing.

"God damned mischievous people," she grumbled as they made their way to the stage. "Why are all best friends freaking evil?"

"I don't think we have the right to talk," Ryoma muttered. "But I have to agree with you on that one."

"Neh... Let's just get this over with," Sayuki grunted. Ryoma glanced over his shoulder, checking on the progress of the evil costume makers. He faced forward again, looking slightly traumatized.

"... On second thought, let's just take our sweet, sweet time," he muttered. "Because after this, we're going to have to face _them_ again." Sayuki gave a quick glance at what has scared him so much.

"I second that idea."

* * *

Kuroki gave a low whistle when Ryoma and Sayuki walked off the stage.

"I'm impressed," she said with a grin. "You two certainly were practicing. Two days before this, I'm pretty sure that Sayuki wouldn't have been this good."

"Indeed, Kuroki told me that you two wouldn't be great, but she was proven wrong," her English teacher commented. "Good job you two. Thanks for helping out, by the way."

"No problem," Sayuki responded in English. The man was pleasantly surprised.

"Your English is very good," he answered, also in English. "No accent at all. Were you born there?"

"She was born in Japan, but she lived in America for most of her life," Ryoma explained in the same language.

"... Can you guys start talking in a language we can all understand?" Kuroki muttered, shaking her head. The three chuckled.

"Well, I'll look forward to having you two in my class in a few years," the teacher said. "But for now we'll have to work. The play is tomorrow. You two kids should go get your costumes. They're very impressive... I must say, they're probably better than the ones that they made for Kuroki and Tezuka, and those were quite well made." Sayuki and Ryoma gulped at the mention of the costume makers.

Those people were _scary_.

And those scary people were approaching... Ryoma and Sayuki knew without even looking. How? The squeals kind of tipped them off.

"OMG, so, like, we _totally_ wanted to make something awesome for you guys, so we, like, put our souls into this!" one told them, glomping Sayuki. The others agreed with many a squeak and proceeded to pile themselves onto Ryoma and Sayuki. When Kuroki and the English teacher finally got them all to settle down, they presented their hard work that they "poured their souls into."

"Tada!" For Ryoma, they pulled our a pair of navy pants with gold buckles on the ends that ran up a little bit of the sides. They also gave him a coat, also navy, with very shiny gold buttons on the front. It had those gold shoulder pads as well as a high collar rimmed with gold.

"You need a white shirt under this and a pair of black shoes," one (that was a little less crazy and spoke a little more normally) explained. "Also, leave a few buttons unbuttoned near the top." Ryoma nodded, taking the costume with thanks.

"And your dress..." The slightly saner maker of costumes turned to Sayuki. "We spent a _lot_ of time on your stuff."

Sayuki's rag-dress in the beginning was very similar to Kuroki's, dirty and patched with random colors. It was obviously done quickly and sloppily, which was actually good since it made the dress more realistic. But it was the ballgown (that doubled as the wedding dress) that was really amazing.

It was a straight, off the shoulder corset that started out white near the top but faded away to a baby blue at the bottom. The top and bottom of the corset was bordered with fuzz, with silver lace embroidered where the corset met the dress. There were two straps made of white fuzz at the top of the corset to make sure that the entire dress didn't fall down, as well as sleeves made of lace in a similar design. A reasonably sized lace ribbon (not those huge ones that look ridiculous) that followed the color pattern of the dress was attached to the back of the corset and met the skirt, which was made of fake silk. To top it all off, there was a long lace train with random silver swirls embroidered here and there.

"Wow... It's... amazing," Sayuki breathed. "I don't even know what to say. And you guys did this in..." She glanced at the clock. "A few hours?" Kuroki smirked.

"Well, they're a lot of them, and crazy people can do great things," Kuroki said, shrugging, "Because most great things are crazy, and it only makes sense that crazy things are done by crazy people."

"We're not quite finished yet," the saner one said. Sayuki made a mental note to learn this person's name, just because she was awesome. She handed Sayuki a white choker with a light blue pendant in the form of a lily.

"Whoa, where did you guys find the time and money to get this?" Sayuki asked, amazed. The older girl smiled.

"It's a gift, just because you guys agreed to do this at such a short notice," she explained. "Besides, it goes nice with your dress." Sayuki smiled.

"Thanks," she said. She paused thoughtfully. "What about Ryoma though? I think he was actually more reluctant than me to do this."

"Of course, he has a present too," the girl said, smiling. She pulled out several slips of paper and handed them to Ryoma. "These are tickets to some of the activities at the cultural festival. These usually end up really popular and crowded, so they came up with the idea of making tickets. They're free, but they usually run out pretty quick."

"Thanks," Ryoma said, surprised at the girl's generosity. He went through the tickets. "Tickets for the cafe, haunted house... a movie?"

"Yup, it's tradition for one of the graduating classes to shoot a movie," Kuroki explained. "It's supposed to be really good."

"I gave you multiple tickets to each event so that you can bring some friends or others if you wanted to," the girl continued. Ryoma gave his thanks again.

Now that the girl was done explaining the costume and presents, the other costume makers seemed ready to attack again. They were quickly stopped by Kuroki.

"C'mon, we gotta get these kids dressed for the dress rehearsal," she said. "Yukina-san, could you help Sayuki with her costume and hair and all that stuff? She has all those hair extensions and stuff. I think Ryoma should be fine on his own." The saner costume maker (Sayuki was happy to finally learn her name) nodded and escorted Sayuki to the dressing room. Ryoma was led into a separate one and then left alone.

When the two emerged, Kuroki smirked. The two looked just perfect for each other... This prank was going to be even more fun than she had first imagined.

Ryoma, dressed in his costume, really did look like a prince. He stood there awkwardly, then nearly bolted when the crazy costume makers attacked him, fixing and adjusting little parts of his costume here and there.

"Heh, I couldn't wait to see what they were gonna do with Sayuki's hair since it's so short," Kuroki chuckled, ignoring Ryoma. "I guess Yukina-chan solved that one pretty easily. Kudos to you." Yukina smiled and gave a bow.

Indeed, Sayuki's hair was now at her original length, the hair extensions seeming perfectly natural. The extensions were curled at the ends with Sayuki's bangs combed to the side. Some of the hair was put up in a small bun in the back while the rest of swept to the side.

"When she changes to the ballgown, we're going to add this," Yukina said, producing a blue clip in the shape of a lily, matching the pendant that she had given Sayuki. "The others wanted her to wear it even in the rag-dress, but it wouldn't fit so I didn't let them." Kuroki nodded approvingly. The clip was really nice, and it wouldn't make sense for Cinderella to have something that pretty.

"This is also yours," Yukina told Sayuki, handing her the clip. Sayuki smiled.

"Thanks for all your hard work, Yukina-san," Sayuki grinned. "Well, I guess 'Prince Ryoma' and I have to get to work."

"We'll give you a show worth the costumes," Ryoma smirked, giving his tickets to Kuroki for safe-keeping for the moment.

"He stole the words right out of my mouth," Sayuki grinned. The two kids went to the stage, determined to show them the best performance ever... Except for the one that they would have to do tomorrow, of course.

* * *

"Sayuki, give me a high five. Do it right now," Kuroki demanded the moment the two stepped off the stage. Sayuki grinned and obliged.

"So, how was it?" Sayuki smirked. "As good as you?" Ryoma grinned, shrugging out of the coat that was extremely hot after wearing it for a long time. He folded it over his arm and leaned against the wall, letting out a self-satisfied sigh.

"Hell yeah," Kuroki answered, giving her best friend a playful shove. "Ryo-ryo, never knew you had it in you," she continued, giving the boy a noogie. "If you ever get tired of tennis, you should be an actor."

"OW, get off," Ryoma grumbled, swatting away her hands. Sayuki snickered.

"Well, anyways," Sayuki grinned, ignoring Ryoma's glare, "they say that we have to go through it another time or two before we can go. Methinks Kuro would get bored of laughing her guts out, so you should go do something productive."

"Like...?" Kuroki asked, raising an eyebrow. "What could possibly be more productive than getting revenge through mirth?"

"You could go visit Tezuka-buchou, for starters," Ryoma suggested. "Wasn't he down with a high fever?"

"Yeah, you should get him the notes he missed in class or something," Sayuki said. "I don't think he'd like missing school."

"Why is everyone so insistent on getting the two of us together?" Kuroki grumbled.

"We could say the same," Ryoma and Sayuki answered in unison. The older girl rolled her eyes.

"Not only you two, but all the other tennis geeks told me to go check on him too," she grunted. She sighed. "Well, you two have fun, I might as well visit him 'on behalf of all of his friends that suddenly have something else to do when he has a fever,' as the Cat-boy put it."

"Do you have the directions to his place?" Sayuki asked, remembering her best friend's lack of a sense of direction.

"Yeah, the others only gave it to me like, seven times," Kuroki answered, limping away on her crutch. "See you two tomorrow! God, making an injured person do this crap," she muttered under her breath. Sayuki chuckled.

"Get Aoiri-san and Akai-san to drive you!" she called after her friend. Without pausing, Kuroki pulled out her cell phone and punched in some numbers. Kakura, who had fallen asleep in a corner, woke up confused, then leaped after her owner. Sayuki smirked.

"Revenge is always sweeter when it's for revenge," Ryoma grinned.

"Indeed it is," Sayuki said, nodding. "Well, let's head back to work. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can continue our revenge."

* * *

_Yay!_

_Yeah, not much to say here... Except for that I. HATE. SCHOOL. D: GAH._

_Oh, and Writer's Block sucks._

_Fangirls, coming right up. I like Yukina. She's cool. :3_

_And before I forget... Somehow, I got the idea in my mind to pair Daichi up with Sakuno. Opinions? :/  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	26. Chapter 26

_WHOO! New chapter! FINALLY!  
_

_OK, just really quick. What sucks is that school is here, and homework along with it. The updates might become more irregular, but I'll still do my best to put up these chapters every other week or so. Sorry, school just sucks like that._

_Moving on to more pleasant topics... Kuroki is visiting Ice Cube's house. :3 Let's see how that goes..._

_Enjoy!  
_

_-Kai_

*wink wink nudge nudge cough cough* :)

~Ryuu

* * *

Kuroki stood outside of Tezuka's house with Akai and Aoiri escorting her, Kakura perched on her shoulder with some papers, the notes that Kuroki copied for Tezuka, tied to her back. Kuroki's backpack was slung over her shoulder, her other arm holding her crutch.

"... Kakura, could you ring the door bell for me?" Kuroki asked after several failed attempts. "My hands are kind of full right now." Kakura chattered and leaned forward, poking the doorbell with her nose. After a pause, the door opened and revealed a woman who was obviously quite surprised at the visitors.

"Hello, you are...?" she asked politely, slightly wary. I mean, any sane person would be of three girls, one on a crutch and looking slightly pissed with a weasel on her shoulder carrying some papers.

"Ah, I'm Tezuka's classmate," Kuroki explained. "I came to bring the notes we took in class. Oishi and the others would've done it but they were," insert cough here, "busy, so they asked me to do it. These two are my sisters. They had to drive me here cause of my injury."

"I see," the woman said, now less cautious of the group. "And this weasel is your pet?" Kuroki nodded with a grin.

"It's not often that people recognize Kakura as a weasel," she said. "Usually they just call her a rodent... She hates that." Kakura hissed to prove her point.

"Well, come in," the woman said, stepping aside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you," Kuroki answered. "We're just here to visit for a bit and then we'll be on our way."

"Alright," the woman answered. "Kunimitsu is upstairs in his room, second one on the right. He's quite ill..."

"We won't bother him," Kuroki assured her. "We'll just drop off the notes and come right back down."

"Thank you for all your trouble," the woman said. Kuroki grinned, assuring her that it was nothing.

"Could you guys help me up the stairs?" Kuroki asked, glaring at the steps and at her ankle. The two giggled but obliged. Kakura scampered after them, making sure that none of the papers were left behind.

"Second one on the right," Kuroki murmured to herself, searching for the right room. "Oh, here it is." She opened the door slowly, making sure that it didn't creak, and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was Tezuka, laying in bed and looking extremely sick. They tiptoed inside.

"Wow, he really is sick," Kuroki murmured. His face was pale and covered in sweat, and his breathing was labored.

"Hm, the kid looks different without his glasses," Akai commented, pointing at the glasses laying on the nightstand beside his bed.

"You should probably put the notes over there," Aoiri said. Kuroki nodded and made a clicking noise. Kakura leaped onto nightstand, being careful not to knock anything over. Kuroki limped over and untied the papers.

"I... gotta go to the bathroom," Akai said, fidgeting. With that, she left the room at top speed. Kuroki and Aoiri blinked in surprise, then Kuroki shook her head.

"OK, let's make sure we have everything here," Kuroki murmured. "Math, science, history..." She flipped through the papers and frowned when she came up short. "Dang, I think I left the English notes on the car." She sighed, shaking her head. "It's always English that causes trouble."

"I'll go get it for you," Aoiri offered. Kuroki nodded her thanks.

"Hey, drop my backpack in the car, too," she said, handing her sister her backpack. Aoiri nodded and left. Kuroki sighed and double-checked the papers.

"Oh... There's a test this Friday, I should probably write that down," she murmured. She glanced around, searching for a writing utensil. "Damn, where does this guy keep his pencils? Kakura, help me look... It takes too much effort to move." Kakura made a disgruntled noise, but went off to search for the elusive pencil.

"Heh, got yourself a fever, eh Ice cube?" Kuroki chuckled, shaking her head. She blinked in surprise when Tezuka's eyes opened, bleary with sleepiness and fever. His head turned in her direction, a confused look on his face.

"Hehe, sorry didn't mean to wake y- ARGH!" Kuroki began sheepishly. The yell was caused by Tezuka suddenly reaching out and pulling her down. The papers in her hand flew everywhere and her crutch was abandoned. Kakura chattered in surprise, scampering to her owner.

Then Tezuka began to do something that can only be described as... cuddling.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Kuroki muttered, eyes scrunched together in pain. She tried to clutch her ankle, but her arms were restrained by Tezuka's iron grip, strong even asleep and with a fever. "Shit... The doctor's going to kill me if this ankle doesn't first." She groaned and turned to Tezuka. "What the _hell_ are you doing, anyways?"

"You're cold..." he murmured sleepily. "Feels good..." He snuggled closer, his nose brushing against her neck. Kuroki groaned in exasperation.

"I know you're delirious with fever, but really?" She then proceeded to mutter curses under her breath in several different languages. "Dammit, this would be less of a problem if my ankle didn't hurt like hell... And shit, waking a sick person isn't good." She considered their position. She was currently on on a sick person's bed, trapped by said sick person.

Well. She'd be lucky to get out of this one without getting a fever herself.

Kakura was quite confused, her weasel brain not able to comprehend what had happened in those past few seconds during which she had been looking for that strange stick that humans use to write with. The snuggling looked fun though, so she joined them. Kuroki suppressed another groan.

"No, Kakura, get off. Now," she commanded. The weasel ignored her. If Kuroki had been able to move her arms, she would've facepalmed.

"I'm baa- Aw, isn't this just the cutest thing?" Akai cooed, waltzing into the room. Like, literally, she waltzed into the room. "Now if only Aoiri had given me my phone..."

"You called? Whoa, and how did this happen?" Aoiri said, walking in.

If Kuroki had been able to move at all, she would've been banging her head on the wall right now. Her sisters just _had_ to find her like this right now.

"Quick, Sister, hand me my phone so that we can proceed to take pictures and humiliate our youngest sister!" Akai said dramatically. Aoiri grinned and tossed her hyperactive sister a phone, then proceeded to take out her own.

"Hey, while we're busy getting blackmail," Aoiri said, snapping several pictures from different angles, "mind explaining how this happened?"

"The Ice cube was delirious with fever and decided to use me as an ice pack," Kuroki growled. "Now get me out of here, you dipshits!"

"Coming dear, just after this last picture!" Akai sang.

"A~and, send!" Aoiri pressed a button on her phone, then grabbed Akai's and did the same. Kuroki stared at her sisters in horror.

"... Did you guys just send those pictures to who I thought you did?" she asked. Aoiri and Akai grinned evilly at their little sister.

"Depends on who you thought we sent it to," Akai teased.

Man, if Tezuka hadn't been sick right then, Kuroki would have thrown him through the roof and then go on to destroy her sisters. Kakura would probably just sit there, watching the destruction occur.

Well, nothing a human does makes sense in a weasel's mind.

* * *

Ryoma and Sayuki were taking a break after their second dress rehearsal, third in total. Acting was way more exhausting than it looks. Every little movement had to be controlled. Sayuki was taking a swig of water when she noticed that she had a new message on her phone.

"Hey Ryoma, check it out," Sayuki called. Ryoma walked over, coat slung over his shoulder.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I have a new message from Kuroki's sisters," Sayuki grinned. She opened the message.

_Hey, Aoiri here! We're at the Ice cube kid's house right now, and we're totally having fun. His notes __were delivered safely, don't worry about that. We even wrote the next test dates for Kuroki, since she can't really move right now. The next pictures will show you why._

_Akai's gonna send you more pics, so enjoy the blackmail!_

That message was followed by many pictures showing Kuroki's current predicament. Sayuki and Ryoma burst out into laughter. The message from Akai arrived, and of course they had to open that one and snicker at all those pictures too.

"What. Are. Those. Pictures?" a growl came from behind them. The two turned around and found a furious mob of high school girls glaring at the phone in Sayuki's hands.

"... Tezuka-senpai's fangirls?" Sayuki guessed.

"Most probably," Ryoma answered.

"ANSWER. What is the Weasel bitch doing with OUR Kunimitsu!" the speaker snarled. Apparently she was the leader or something. Ryoma and Sayuki could care less.

"Oh, wow, listen to this," Sayuki muttered. "Stereotypical fangirl. I wonder if they've found out where he lives yet."

"Obviously not, otherwise they would've taken advantage of his deliriousness from his fever," Ryoma replied. "Well, what do you want to do with these crazy people?"

"Mayumi, take your girls and leave." Sayuki and Ryoma turned to the new speaker.

"Yukina-chan. Our savior," Sayuki grinned. Ryoma smirked, waiting to see what this "Mayumi" person would do.

She sputtered like a firecracker.

"What gives you the right to order US around!" she demanded angrily. Yukina shrugged coolly, and Mayumi noticed the other (crazy) costume makers, that didn't all consist of girls if you wanted to know, were standing behind Yukina.

Mayumi wasn't the only one with backup.

"Well, for starters, you're disturbing their very short ten minute break, which ends in another minute or so," she answered. "And after that, they have to finish their last rehearsal. It only makes sense for you _outsiders_ to leave, since I believe there was a rule that those without permission were not allowed at the rehearsals." Mayumi scowled.

"Leave, Gaichu." The English teacher appeared. "Yukina was saying the truth. You and the others have no right to be here. Please leave or suffer the consequences." Mayumi's scowl deepened, but she barked at the others to leave.

"That was interesting," Ryoma commented. Sayuki agreed.

"Yukina-chan, my respect level for you just went up," Sayuki grinned. "And if it was above the hundreds already."

"Well, I wasn't kidding about your break ending. It's time for you to get back to work," Yukina smiled. She left with her friends to go prepare for the next rehearsal. Sayuki and Ryoma groaned in unison.

"Respect level just went down..."

* * *

"Alright, now that you two are done with the fucking pictures, will you _now_ get me out of here?" Kuroki growled irritably. Akai and Aoiri grinned.

"What's the magic word~" Akai sang.

"Please," Kuroki snarled reluctantly. Kakura purred and curled herself around her owner. "Cut it out Kura, that tickles."

"Say it nicely," Aoiri ordered, smirking evilly. Kuroki sighed, jerking her head so that Kakura would get off.

"_Please_ get this guy off of me," she said, with just the slightest bit of annoyance in her voice. Finally, Aoiri and Akai pulled the sick boy off of their little sister and tucked him back into his bed. He didn't stir once, still too drained and exhausted from fever.

"God dammit, hurry up next time," Kuroki groaned, stretching with several of her joints cracking. "And please, do it _without_ the blackmail."

"Like that'll ever happen," Aoiri muttered, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, we've spent long enough in here. That woman's gonna get edgy if we don't get out of here soon, so I say we should go home."

"I have homework to start on anyways," Kuroki muttered angrily. "Stupid teachers that give us homework right before the cultural festival... This ankle is such a freaking pain."

"You should probably drop by Suigo-kun's before we get home," Akai said thoughtfully as they left, saying goodbye to the woman that had welcomed them in. "Get his parents to check on your ankle. It probably got worse when that kid grabbed you."

"No duh," Kuroki said, rolling her eyes. "It hurt like hell."

"Well, that's your own fault for spraining it on purpose," Aoiri said, slightly amused. "Usually people try to avoid injuries, but I guess you're a special kid."

"Special cause I have sisters like you two." Akai giggled and Aoiri merely shook her head with a small smile. Kakura chattered, leaping onto her owner's shoulder. Kuroki heard her phone ring and pulled it out of her pocket, the other arm using her crutch with Kakura balancing on her shoulder.

"Sayuki, what's up?" Kuroki asked.

"Nothing, just wanted to call to see how you were doing," Sayuki answered in a hushed whisper. "Our break is over, but I'm calling while I'm offstage. So how'd it go with Tezuka-senpai?"

"The notes were delivered safely and we're headed home," Kuroki told her. "My ankle hurts twice as much now though."

"Because of what Akai and Aoiri messaged me about?" she asked, amused. Kuroki could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"Shut the hell up about that," Kuroki growled. "Do you have anything else to bother me about, or is that it?" She climbed into her sisters' car, Aoiri taking the driver's seat and Akai calling shotgun.

"Actually, I called to let you know that Tezuka-senpai's fangirls found out about the pictures," Sayuki informed her, rather nonchalantly. "Yukina-chan got them to go away, but I figured they'd probably bother you tomorrow at school. Just thought I'd give you a heads up." Kuroki groaned in exasperation for what must have been the fifteenth time within the last half hour.

"God, I'm never going to hear the end of it from them," she muttered.

"Nice to know," Sayuki said in a hurried voice. "Gotta go, I'm up next. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, see you," Kuroki answered. Sayuki hung up and Kuroki snapped her phone shut, putting it back into her pocket. She sighed again and leaned back, staring at the ceiling of her sisters' car.

"Damned fangirls..."

* * *

_Gaichu (害虫) means pest. I thought it was fitting for a fangirl. :D Yesh, I did run that through Google Translate._

_Ahaha, so yeah. More fangirl trouble coming up the next couple chapters... Cinderella play too. :3 Next chapter is kind of boring if I remember correctly, it's pretty much filler. But after that... Fun. :3_

_Thanks to everyone who gave me their opinion on the meaning behind the title of FSC and on Daichi and Sakuno. :3 Y'all are awesome and keep me writing... That, and Ryuu tells me to update everyday, but we all like the carrot better than the stick. :D (Quoted from my new core teacher... he's kind of weird.)_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

Why yes, yes I do nag my lil sis about updating~ xD...which reminds me I have to upload all my chapters of my story *facepalm* TOO MUCH TO DO!

~Ryuu


	27. Chapter 27

_Hey y'all, s'been a while!_

_One thing to say. School sucks. *shrugs* Not much else. It's eating all of my time away with freaking homework and stuff like that, but I'm still doing my best to manage. I'm pretty sure that you all know what I'm talking about. *glares at pile of homework*_

_OK, this chapter is boring. It has boredom, homework (D:), texting, and foreshadowing._

_My language arts/literature teachers would be so proud... Foreshadowing, they all love._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

Drawing my heart out for my art portfolio...T-T somebody save me~ xD I'm almost done w/ my updates for my two stories~ so ppl who are reading, beware a new chappy might be out soooooon~ :D

~Ryuu

* * *

When Ryoma opened the door to Sayuki's room (after knocking of course), he found her rolling around on her bed. He sweat dropped.

"What are you doing?" he asked. There was a meow from behind him and he immediately stepped aside to let Karupin in.

"I'm so bored," Sayuki whined, sitting up to look at him. She was hugging her pillow, a pout on her face. Ryoma almost chuckled. It was kind of adorable.

"So what did you want?" she asked, putting her pillow down to pet Karupin, who had leaped onto her bed. She had long ago hidden the giant dog plushie that Suigo had randomly given to her. Karupin purred contentedly.

"What do I usually bother you for?" Ryoma asked, amused. Sayuki sighed and rolled her eyes, reaching over to grab her eraser to chuck it at him. He caught it, of course.

"I was aiming for your face, but you had to go and catch it with your stupid tennis-born reflexes," Sayuki grumbled, the pout on her face again. "You're still doing your homework, aren't you?"

"Yeah, math. Last problem," he said, bouncing the eraser in the palm of his hand. "Karupin jumped on my desk and I kinda jerked my pencil in surprise."

"When you're done, can I bother you?" Sayuki asked. Karupin meowed indignantly, wanting her to continue scratching its stomach. She obliged and the cat went back to purring.

"You pamper Karupin too much," he sighed, shaking his head. "Why don't you go bother Kuroki?" He didn't even have to ask to know that she had finished her homework.

"I called her, but she's just started her homework," Sayuki said. "I just texted her and I'm waiting for her reply. And look who's talking, Karupin was already fat and lazy when I got here. Maybe we can make it love lasagna and paint it orange and then we'd have a Garfield, minus the talking."

"If you try to paint my cat orange, I'm not responsible for any harm that may occur to you during the process," Ryoma smirked. Sayuki rolled her eyes.

"Still haven't answered my question," she pointed out. "Can I bug you later?"

"Maybe," he answered, leaving the room. "We'll see." Sayuki sighed, shaking her head.

"Y'know, Karupin," she said, falling back onto her bed, "your owner is an arrogant bastard." Karupin gave a mewl that sounded like agreement. Sayuki smirked.

"But that's why..." She sat up at the sound of a new message reaching her phone. She flipped it open to check what Kuroki had written.

_No Sayu u can't use the pics that Aka/Ao sent u as blackmail against me. I forbid you._

_In any case, im still doin my hw. I was planning 2g2 da library, but neh. Still on crutches, 2 much hassle. Eng. hw is a pain in the ss._

_Fangirls are a bitch. IDK how they got my #, but they're flooding me w/ hate calls & texts. Annoying as hell._

_BTW, I'm pissed that I got a #$%$# PINK ballgown & u got a white/blue one. I 4got to mention that earlier, but now u no._

_Go bother Ryo or sumthin. I'll text u in a few._

Sayuki smirked at the first few lines. Who cares if her best friend had just "forbidden" her from using those pictures as blackmail? They both knew that it was still gonna happen. They just loved messing with each other too much. The fangirls might be a problem though. Sayuki wasn't too surprised about the comment about the ballgown. Kuroki did hate _bright_ pink after all. She quickly typed back a reply, then continued petting Karupin.

_Kuroki, you know I'm going to save the pics anyways. It's a fact. Also, you use chatspeak too much... Sometimes it gets annoying to read._

_Haha, I bet you're not bothering to go to the library cause Tezuka-senpai isn't there. Miss him much? Go hang out with Kikumaru-senpai and Fuji-senpai and the others, maybe you'll forget that he isn't there. Or it'll make it worse, IDK._

_I might help you with English hw. Send me a pic of your hw and I'll see what I can do._

_I've had way to much experience with fangirls. I don't think I can take much more. Sorry, but you're on your own in this one._

_I was gonna bother him, but he wouldn't let me. I'm gonna go bother him again though. TTYL._

True to her word, she got off the bed and marched into Ryoma's room since the door was open anyways.

"Ryoma, I'm here to bother you!" she announced, plopping herself down on his bed. He didn't answer, still working on the last problem of his homework.

"Fine, ignore me," Sayuki said grumpily. She grabbed his pillow and continued to do what she had been doing a few minutes ago: rolling around on the bed.

"Quit it," Ryoma said, finally finishing and snatching the pillow from her. "You're messing up my bed."

"Eh, you're gonna sleep in it anyways, so what's the difference?" she asked innocently. He sighed, shaking his head.

"So did Kuroki text you back?" he asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Yup. Wanna see?" Sayuki asked, already, taking out her phone and looking through her messages.

"Sure, why not," Ryoma answered. It's not like he had anything better to do.

"Here," Sayuki handed him her phone. He read the message, smirking at what it contained.

"So I guess she really hates the color pink," she said. Sayuki nodded.

"Yukina-chan told me that she did it just to annoy Kuro though," Sayuki giggled.

"Those fangirls could get to be a problem though," Ryoma said, frowning.

"Yeah, but I have enough fangirl problems to deal with for a lifetime," she answered, sighing. "I don't really want to get involved in this one."

"I think you might already be," Ryoma muttered as a new message appeared. "It's not from Kuroki... Unknown number."

"Lemme see," Sayuki snatched her phone from him. And then she sweat dropped. "... Yeah, I think they're not going to leave me alone..." Her cell phone notified her of... 23 new messages, all saying pretty much the same thing. "You read this." She handed her phone back to Ryoma.

"... 'Where the hell did you get those pictures'... 'How do you know my Tezuka-sama'... 'Leave him alone'... 'Where does that Kuroki bitch live'..." He sweat dropped as he continued to scroll down the messages. "What is wrong with these people?" he muttered shaking his head.

"Oh, and look, one from our favorite person," Sayuki mumbled sarcastically, reading over his shoulder. "Gaichu Mayumi."

"Y'knkow, Gaichu sounds kind of familiar," Ryoma said thoughtfully, giving Sayuki her phone back. She shrugged.

"Not to me," she replied, deleting all the hate mail. "Might be a classmate with the same last name or something, I wouldn't know. I don't bother to remember their names."And then she went about cursing, trying to figure out if she could block the numbers of the fangirls that were apparently determined on making her phone explode with messages.

"Hey, don't delete that one, it's from Kuroki," Ryoma interrupted, just as she was about to hit the "Delete Message" button. Sayuki almost squeaked in surprise, quickly canceling it. "Ah... now that you mention it, I think that Gaichu is a classmate or something..."

"Heh, maybe it's one of _your_ fangirls," Sayuki smirked, her tone sarcastic. She shook her head in exasperation as she read Kuroki's text. "She's having it even worse than me. She says she's just plain given up on trying to clear out her inbox."

"Sucks for her," Ryoma muttered. "And knowing how you're usually right, the Gaichu probably _is_ one of my fangirls." He sighed, shaking his head. "Ridiculous..."

"It's a small world," Sayuki replied, shrugging. She snickered as she finished reading Kuroki's message. "I think someone's in denial."

"Lemme see," Ryoma said, reading over Sayuki's shoulder.

_STFU, I'll can try stopping u nywayz. And we dn't all have perfect grammar lyk u Sayu. Txting costs u no._

_Yo mo gao chor! I do my hw w/ Icecube bcuz he provides entertainment & it's easier if we can help each other. Besides, Kitty and Apple & co. jst tell me GO HANG OUT W/ ICE CUBE. Gawd, u guyz r weird if ur trying to get us together._

"... 'Yo mo gao chor'?" Ryoma read questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

"Roughly translated, it's Cantonese for, 'Did you get it wrong?'," Sayuki explained. "Usually used in disbelief and, 'You've gotta be kidding me!' situations."

"... Cantonese... right," Ryoma muttered, sweat dropping. How in the world Sayuki and Kuroki knew Cantonese was beyond him, and he wasn't keen on finding out just yet.

_Eng hw on its way! Pic at the end. Help plz._

_But Sayu~ THEY MADE MY INBOX IMPLODE. I've given up on trying to stop them. I'll make them STFU tomorrow and then clean out my inbox of spam._

_So watcha guyz doin? BTW, other than Eng hw, I'm pretty much done so I might come over if u guyz aren't... doin anything else. :3_

The message ended after a a few pictures of Kuroki's English homework. Ryoma and Sayuki exchanged an exasperated look, sighing at the last comment.

"And she calls _us_ weird for trying to get _them_ together," Sayuki muttered. "Really. I don't even know why I do her homework for her anymore."

"Then don't," Ryoma said matter-of-factly. "I gotta go feed Karupin... You text her back and do her homework or whatever. See you at dinner." He hopped off the bed, calling for his cat as Sayuki messaged Kuroki back, then followed Ryoma downstairs to dinner.

* * *

Kuroki gave a slight groan as she stretched, her joints popping as she did so. Her fingers were cramped from all the writing, but she still had a few more problems in English to go. Too bad those were the ones she was utterly helpless with and needed Sayuki's help. She grabbed her phone as she heard a new message appear, hoping that it was Sayuki and not another fangirl. To her relief, it was the former with answers to her homework.

_Whatever. You and Tezuka-senpai would be kickass though. :3 Think about it. I think you'd hate apples after what I did... But Fuji-senpai is cool_.

_I think Ryoma thinks we're freaks that know every single language in the world. Oh well. Eng hw answers at the end. And don't worry, they're bombarding me with hate texts too, you're not the only one. And just because I was holding my cell phone that happened to be displaying your pictures... Why in the world were they in the multi-purpose room anyways?_

_We're having dinner right now, not making out, sorry. Feel free to come over, Nanjirou-san said it's OK._

Kuroki scribbled down the answers that Sayuki had given her, making sure to read Sayuki's explanations. There _was_ a test coming up after all, and while Kuroki wasn't the type to study, she had to at least understand her homework.

When she finished, she figured that they would still be eating dinner so she texted Sayuki back as she prepared some food for her sisters. She wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, so Kuroki figured that she'd have leftovers when she came back.

_Pffft, yeah right. In ur sugar-induced dreams. Me and Icecube r the most unlikely people 2 get 2gether eva. U and Ryo on the other hand... Cute. :3 And I do detest the fruit. Apples is easier than Mountain tho._

_Not me, I just pick up some stuff from u. I don't even no how u no all those languages, so maybe ur the freak. Thx 4 teh answers btw._

_Glad to no that I'm not the only 1 suffering frm evil fangirls. IDK y they were at the rehearsal, I dn't understand how fangirls think. I guess they were hoping that Ice would show up or sumthing._

_Aw, that's a shame. U guys should, u no. Make out. Ya, I'll come ova in a few._

Kuroki pressed send, pocketed her cell phone, and then demanded that Aoiri drive her to Ryoma's house. She definitely wasn't walking there with a sprained ankle.

"Annoying little foot," Aoiri muttered as she started the engine. "I get your share of ice cream tonight though."

"Whatever," Kuroki muttered, rolling her eyes. She smirked.

Annoying Ryoma and Sayuki was better than any ice cream.

* * *

"Ryoma! Sayuki-chan! The Weasel Girl is here!" Nanjirou yelled up the stairs.

"'Kay! Tell her to come up to my room!" Sayuki called back. She continued what seemed to be her favorite pastime as of late... Rolling around on her bed. Karupin entered her room, sweat dropping as it watched the girl roll back and forth. It let out a disdainful meow, almost as if to say, "I can't believe that one of my owners is so childish."

"Sayuki!" Kuroki burst into the room, pouncing onto the younger girl's bed. Karupin gave a startled hiss, then stalked out of the room, wondering to itself why some females were so crazy.

"Kuroki, you scared the crap out of me!" Sayuki growled, smacking her friend with her pillow. "You scared Karupin away too. You sure you didn't just break your ankle with that leap? I'm pretty sure I heard something crack..."

"Whatever," Kuroki answered, rolling her eyes as she snatched the pillow and tossed it back at Sayuki playfully. "I take care of myself and my own injuries, you don't need to worry. Besides, the cat will come back." She bounced up and down on Sayuki's bed excitedly. "OK, so fill me in. What happened at the play practice?"

"... Practicing for the play?" Sayuki answered, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing else, other than the fangirl attack... I'm still trying to figure out if I can block someone's phone number."

"No dice, I've been trying for the past couple weeks," Kuroki muttered dryly, rolling her eyes. "They've always annoyed me, but it seriously got a hundred times worse today. Stupid pictures..."

"Hah, sucks to be you," Sayuki smirked. "I got Dai, Sui, and Kaz on my side. They got most of them to leave me alone, but a few persistent ones still won't leave me alone... I think they're Ryoma's." She fell back onto her bed. "Hey, maybe you can get Tezuka-senpai to do the same thing. Y'know, tell them to go away and leave you alone."

"Pfft, as if," Kuroki grumbled. "He wouldn't bother. And besides, his fangirls are on a whole other _universe_ of persistent. And besides, even if they did leave me alone, I still got Apple's and Kitty Boy's and the others."

"Heh, must really suck having all the tennis players in your classes and being friends with them," Sayuki smirked. "Y'know, Kuro, you've always had crappy luck with fangirls."

"Tell me about it," Kuroki groaned, grabbing Sayuki's pillow and giving it a good punch. "Since we were little brats, I've had to deal with the three little birds' fangirls, and they wouldn't bother to tell them to go away, except for Kaze when he stopped being a lazy butt. Daichi's a nice kid most of the time, but he's downright nasty with those he doesn't like. And Suigo's just a little prankster, no reasoning with him."

"Y'know, I've been wondering," Sayuki said thoughtfully, "Why do you call them the 'three little birds' anyways?"

"For starters, they're _annoying_," Kuroki said as if it were entirely obvious. "Won't shut up at all. And they keep flocking towards you... And, it's easier than saying all of their names."

"I see," Sayuki murmured. She sat up, legs crossed and holding her pillow. "... Hey, Kuroki-" A knock on the door cut her off, and the two glanced up to see Ryoma standing in the doorway.

"When the door's open, it usually means you can come in," Kuroki informed him, smirking.

"'It's still nice to knock though,'" Ryoma answered, quoting Sayuki from one of those embarrassing moments that happens when a boy and a girl live together. "It's getting pretty late. We have school and the performance tomorrow, so I think we should get some rest..."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Kuroki said, standing up. "I'm outta here. I didn't eat dinner anyways... Kinda hungry now."

"Kay, see you tomorrow," Sayuki grinned. "Don't kill your ankle, cause I have to kill you first."

"For getting us into this play," Ryoma added, smirking. "Death by asphyxiation sounds fun."

"I'd like to see you try," Kuroki answered, rolling her eyes. "You two just go to sleep already. Don't want you guys flipping out from sleep at the festival." With that parting comment, Kuroki left the house, calling Aoiri to "Freaking pick me up right now or you won't be getting _any_ ice cream tonight."

Ryoma went back to his room, getting ready to sleep and mentally preparing himself for the play tomorrow. Sayuki fell back onto her bed with a sigh, reaching a hand out to the ceiling, then clutching it into the first. The hand fell, covering her eyes.

"I almost told her..."

* * *

_Was this chapter worth the wait? Ha ha, probably not. Sorry, I know this chapter was filler and boring. I didn't really like it but... meh. Had to give you guys _something_._

_BUT DON'T WORRY! The next chapter will be so totally awesome that your socks will be eaten by black holes. I mean, Ryoma and Sayuki in the Cinderella play. How could it _not_ be awesome! The next chapter is pretty long, hehe._

_And until then... *salutes* Remember: Never feed seagulls yellow snow!_

_... Yeah, Ryuu and I went to the beach a few weeks back. :3 And it gave us inspiration for- WAIT SPOILERS NEVER MIND._

_Just had the weirdest sense of deja vu. Just thought I'd let you know.  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	28. Chapter 28

_OMG OMG OMG OMG_

_OK, sorry for the wait guys, but school and crap. You know the drill._

_More importantly, this is like the second longest chapter (after the sleepover one). And it's my absolute FAVORITE. ... Well, favorites can be debated. XP There might be a chapter that I'm forgetting. But anyways...  
_

_I. Love. This. Chapter._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

...T-T PSAT in two weeks...somebody kill me now so I can haunt people and not have to take the PSAT! T-T

~Ryuu

* * *

Ryoma's alarm didn't even have a chance to go off before Sayuki arrived to wake him up. As such, he was unprepared and rather startled when he awoke and found her poking his face.

"... Get off," he mumbled, sleepily swatting her hand away. "'M still," he paused a moment to slam his fist on his clock, which decided to go off at that moment, "sleepy..."

"C'mon Ryo-ryo, get up," Sayuki whined, still poking at his face. "Kuro says she's waiting outside. Like, now." With a slight sigh, he shook the last clutches of sleep away and sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"Be down for breakfast," Sayuki grinned, satisfied that he was up. She skipped away, cheerful as always, humming a tune to herself. Ryoma shook his head in disbelief, disentangling himself from his blankets that practically pleaded for him to lay back down and continue sleeping. How much of a morning person could a person be?

He sighed. Apparently, not as much as Kuroki seeing as this was the second time that the older girl had shown up at their house at some ungodly hour of the morning. Shaking his head and still wondering how in the world his life had changed so much that something like this had become _normal_, he began getting ready for the day.

* * *

"Ryoma, you ready?" Sayuki asked, bag slung over her shoulder with a drink in hand. "Kuroki's still waiting... Said she wanted to review our lines with us on the way to school." Ryoma suppressed a groan. They had practiced so much that the words were practically burned into his brain, and she _still_ wanted them to go over them?

"I know, I know," she answered, seeing the look on his face as she began strapping on her roller skates. "Just humor her. It'll make her feel better."

"Why?" he asked, slipping his feet into his shoes. "She in a bad mood or something?"

"Kinda," Sayuki answered vaguely. "The fangirls are getting to her, I think." She sipped at her drink thoughtfully, opening the door. "Nanjirou-san, we're leaving!"

Turns out that Kuroki was more than "kinda in a bad mood" and it was definitely from the fangirls.

"God damn Gaichu and all her minions," Kuroki snarled, glaring at the ground. "I swear to _Hell_, if I get _one_ more fucking message from them..." She trailed off as her phone vibrated, informing her that, yes, they had messaged her again. Letting out a frustrated noise that was a mix between a hiss, a roar, a growl, and a screech, Kuroki fished out her phone and clenched it, raising her fist as if to chuck it at the ground. She froze when she felt a hand encircle her wrist, gentle yet firm, preventing her from destroying her phone in a fit of anger.

"I don't think that that would be a good idea," a voice informed her. She turned around on reflex, although she already knew who it was.

"Ice cube, I think it'd be a good idea if you let go of my hand," Kuroki told him coolly, her anger tamed but not yet entirely safe.

"Tezuka-senpai, whatcha doing here?" Sayuki interrupted, knowing that if they continued, Kuroki would eventually snap again. Fangirls were not something that her friend dealt with easily. "I can't believe that everyone takes this route to school."

"Her sisters appeared at my house this morning and informed me that she was in a... less than good mood because of those who admire me," he explained, releasing Kuroki's wrist once he was sure that she wasn't about to kill her innocent cell phone on the street. "They told me that if I was feeling better, then I should probably come here and stop her from doing something drastic."

"Well, if you're feeling well enough to come to school and all," Kuroki said nonchalantly, with a slight shrug as she pocketed her phone again, message forgotten. "I'm still pissed at you though, Ice cube."

"I won't ask as to why," he answered quietly.

"Smart choice," Kuroki muttered. "C'mon Sayu, let's go on ahead. We can leave the emotionally constipated on their own."

"What happened to practicing lines?" Ryoma asked, ignoring the "emotionally constipated" comment. He could've pissed Kuroki off again, and he knew that but he figured that by then she had her temper in check... At least, most of it.

"Screw going over the lines, that was a stupid idea anyways," Kuroki answered. "Sayuki, let's _go_."

"What's the point in going so early?" Sayuki asked, though she let her best friend drag her ahead anyways.

"They called me out," Kuroki answered impatiently. "And it's nice to have your best friend there to keep your temper to a minimum so you don't end up snapping and beating them up and landing yourself a possible suspension."

"Oh," Sayuki answered simply. And then she grinned, humming a song as she followed her fuming friend to their school.

* * *

Sayuki learned a few things that day.

First, witnessing Kuroki vs. Fangirls is like one of the most hilarious things ever. Kuroki will no longer appear angry and although she's seething on the inside, all the fangirls see is the amused and even more sarcastic than usual, smirking Weasel Girl. Kuroki usually then proceeds to casually toss around a few insults that would make the most toughened men cry for mommy.

It wasn't something new, but Sayuki's opinion of Kuroki was very much confirmed. Kuroki was a sadist, and she liked to make her victims _squirm_.

And then Sayuki learned that, yes, Gaichu Mayumi _did_ have a younger sister, and much to Sayuki's amusement and Ryoma's annoyance, she actually was one of Ryoma's fangirls.

The leader of the fanclub, at that.

"Heh, fancy that," Sayuki chuckled as she walked past Ryoma as they were transitioning between lunch and class. He paused a moment to hear what she had to say. "Gaichu Megami's your number one fan, Gaichu Mayumi is Tezuka-senpai's. The younger Gaichu's best friends are the leaders of Kaze's, Daichi's, and Suigo's fanclubs." Ryoma scoffed.

Small world it is.

"Birds of a feather flock together," Ryoma murmured in reply. Sayuki flashed him a quick grin and then they continued, each to their own path as if the quick exchange of words had never happened.

* * *

"CultuRAL FEStiVAL!" Sayuki sang cheerfully as she skipped out of the school gates. Ryoma sweat dropped, sighing and reluctantly following her. They had the day off from tennis practice because they had to attend the play, and besides, they weren't the only ones who were planning to visit the festival so Kaidoh decided to just give everyone a break for a day.

"I don't suppose that your lack of a singing ability has anything to do with your eyes, does it?" he muttered. All he got in reply was her childishly sticking her tongue out him. He sighed again, shaking his head. "Are you ready for the play?"

"Yup!" Sayuki grinned. "We'll knock their socks off and then knock out Kuroki's brains for putting us up to this. She and Tezuka-senpai are going to be watching us."

"Can't Tezuka-buchou just switch out with me now that he's better?" Ryoma groaned, staring up at the sky as if asking God to relieve him from this torture.

"Kuroki wouldn't let you," Sayuki answered with a shrug. "And besides... that'd be weird. Too big of a height difference, and besides. Yukina-chan and the others were really looking forward to seeing us do this. We owe them at least that much for all the work they did."

"I hate guilt trips," Ryoma answered, shaking his head. "At least the play is the first event... Best to get it over with first."

"Lemme see the tickets Yukina-chan gave you," she said. He fished them out from his pocket and handed them over. "OK... The cafe tickets are reusable, so we can go visit that whenever we feel tired or whatever. We should probably drop by there after the play."

"There's four of each, right?" Ryoma asked, glancing at the tickets in her hand. "The movie is supposed to be at the very end."

"So we go to the..." Sayuki paused for a moment, hesitant. "... Haunted house after the cafe..."

"And then we wander around and check out the stuff that doesn't need tickets until the movie shows," Ryoma finished for her. They were currently outside the multipurpose room and they headed inside. He looked at her oddly. "What's wrong with the haunted house?"

"... Ryoma, remember when we went to go see that horror movie?"

He thought about it. And then he sweat dropped.

"Oh..." He didn't have any time to say anything else because as soon as they entered the enormous room, they were swept away by Yukina and the rest of Kuroki's classmates.

It was complete, total, utter chaos in there. People were rushing around with props, random bundles of fabric, entire sets. Others were shouting orders, trying to make themselves heard over each other. All the actors were in the adjoined rooms, putting on their costumes and any amount of makeup needed. Kuroki chuckled at the scene.

"Everything is always last minute," she said, shaking her head with a sigh and a content smile on her face. She leaned against the wall to give her arm a rest from having to support her weight on the crutch.

"Indeed." Kuroki glanced to her right in mild surprise and found Tezuka beside her, also resting against the wall, with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead as usual. She grinned.

"Hey~ Ice cube. How are the fangirls doing with bothering you?" she smirked. He said nothing, but she thought that she saw his fingers twitch for a moment. "That bad huh..."

It was weird, but after hanging around the ice cube for so long, she had started picking up on the little movements and shifts that translated and made their point well enough if you were observant enough to pick up on them.

"Ho hum," Kuroki said peacefully, watching the mayhem around their calm, quiet little bubble. "I'm bored..." She glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall. "Still another half hour to go." She pondered what she was going to do to occupy that time while everyone else was preparing for the play, and then an idea occurred to her. She looked up at Tezuka, a kitten like smile on her face.

"Ice cube, Sayuki told me that Ryoma told her that you went to Germany for some stuff to fix your arm right?" she asked, the smile growing. He inclined his head slightly as an affirmation, his right hand instinctively tightening on his left arm.

"Well I've been wanting to learn German for a while..." Kuroki trailed off, knowing that her point was made, but she figured that she'd explain why before he'd ask. "Because it sounds awesome, and besides, why not? I mean, Sayuki knows like every freaking language in the world..." There was a silence, one that wasn't entirely uncomfortable. He seemed to be deciding whether or not teaching her some German would be good or not.

"Guten tag," he said finally. "It means 'good day'." Kuroki grinned and processed this information. This could get interesting... Something random to do with the Ice cube.

Huh. Ice cube. Now there was an idea...

"Hey Tezuka," she said, using his actual name for once in a long time. "How would you say... ice cube in German?" He gave her a look as if to say "You've got to be kidding me" and she merely shrugged. "It'd be nice to know. I mean, Ice cube gets old after so long." He almost sighed. Almost. But he did shake his head, allowing disbelief to spread over his features.

"Eiswürfel," he finally relented. "Eis is ice, würfel being cube." Tezuka pretty much regretted telling her this as soon as that dreaded smirk appeared on her face. He later found himself wondering what whim suggested by the Devil had made him even consider telling her in the first place.

"Well, Eiswürfel, I believe that you just got yourself a new nickname," she giggled, a smirk that was almost a sneer on her face. "This could be fun."

* * *

Sayuki let out a groan as she stretched, her joints popping. She moved her shoulder in a circle. "Man, are you ready for this or what?"

"Whatever," Ryoma muttered, picking at his costume. It was uncomfortable and he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Sayuki grinned.

"Whoa, OK, that's a lot of people," she sweat dropped as she peeked out the curtains. It was unbelievable. It was like they had stolen all the chairs in the school and somehow managed to shove them into orderly rows in the multipurpose room. And all of those chairs were filled.

Kuroki waved at her, smirking, seated in the first row. Sayuki glared at her and withdrew her head.

"All those people and she somehow got herself a front row seat," she grumbled. Ryoma snorted. He wasn't that surprised... Kuroki usually got what she wanted if she pulled a few strings, and it seemed like all the strings in the world were at her fingertips.

"Curtain's going up in five minutes," Yukina informed them as she approached them. "You guys should prepare yourselves." The two smirked.

"Don't worry," Sayuki told her. "We're ready... they better be."

* * *

The lights dimmed and the murmurs died down as the English teacher appeared on stage, explaining what the class's play was about and giving a short back story. He left and the curtains rose...

Sayu-rella was onstage, wearing the filthy rag-dress, her face slightly smeared with soot. Apparently, the play-makers had decided to tweak it up a bit to differentiate from Kuroki's version. Sayu-rella was on her knees, scrubbing at the ground. She let out a slight maidenly sigh, wiping the imaginary sweat off of her forehead just as the step-sisters and step-mother came (quite literally) waltzing in.

"Nee-chan, the prince's ball is tomorrow!" one squealed. They clasped hands and bounced up and down, squealing with excitement.

"Mother, Mother, we absolutely must go, of course?" the second one said with sickening sweetness.

"Of course!" the third one exclaimed. "We will make you two perfection, even more gorgeous than you already are! The prince shall be unable to make a choice between the two!" Sayu-rella shifted her head, glancing at them from the corner of her eye as if interested in their conversation. As the three continued to gush about the ball that was to happen the next day, she was contemplating the thought of actually imagining them with Ryoma. She suppressed a snicker. The thought was too amusing...

It was about time for her to start. She looked up timidly at her step-sisters and step-mother. "Nee-samas, Kaa-sama, is there a chance that... I-I, might be able to come as well?" she said shyly, stuttering a bit. She looked up at them hopefully, like a little puppy begging to be played with.

Kuroki thought she heard a few, "Awwwww..."s in the audience. She let out a short laugh, grinning at her best friend. This was even better than she had done yesterday.

"Ha! You?" the first step-sister scoffed. She seemed rather amused at the thought. "You're the servant girl, you shouldn't even begin to entertain such thoughts."

"Don't you think that you would embarrass us and yourself if you went?" the second one sneered. "The closest thing you'll get to even get is seeing our dresses and our beautiful selves."

"Impudent, selfish brat," the step-mother sniffed disdainfully, obviously feeling very much superior to the girl. "Come now, my precious daughters, we must prepare ourselves." The two step-sisters let out high-pitched squeals that would make a dog's ears bleed. The three skipped off the stage, the step-mother pausing for a moment. "Cinderella. This room will be spotless when we return. Do you understand?"

Sayu-rella nodded meekly, suppressing rather obvious tears. The step-mother only turned sharply and followed her daughters.

The lights dimmed and revealed that Sayu-rella had abandoned her rag near the (prop) fireplace and taken up the broom that had been lying nearby. Every now and then she would hesitate, bit her lip, tears would well up and she would let out a little longing sigh.

Kuroki smirked. Sayuki's performance was something that would've been impossible two days ago. One obstacle conquered, one fear that they no longer had to worry about... She frowned at that thought. There was no doubt that Sayuki was still scared though...

The three step-biscuit eaters returned, practically prancing onstage, wearing their extravagant dresses that had the clasps undone.

"Cinderella, come here and do our dresses for us," the step-mother commanded. Sayu-rella gave a slight nod and carefully balanced her broom against the fireplace, then went over to her step-sisters and step-mother to properly fasten the dresses. When she finished, they all let out their squeals and twirled around, flaunting their dresses in front of Sayu-rella.

"You all look very beautiful," she said shyly, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Of course," one of the step-sisters scoffed. "It's natural for us. You, on the other hand..." She waved her hand for someone else to continue, as if she had no words to describe the girl.

"No matter how much time someone would spend on you, you would never even come close to us," the step-mother finished for her daughter. "Now, come daughters. The time for the ball to begin approaches. Let us be on our way." The three left the stage, their laughter echoing as they prattled on about how handsome the prince was and how he was sure to fall in love with them.

And they left behind Sayu-rella, tears silently trickling down her face, leaving a salty trail of water. She didn't even bother to wipe them away, didn't say a word about how much she wished she could go with them, but there was no need. Her expression said it all...

After a minute of her silent crying, she finally pulled herself together, shaking her head and wiping the tears away with the back of her hand with a little sniff. She reached for her broom, apparently ready to begin cleaning again, as her step-mother had said that making the room sparkling clean was her task and duty...

Suddenly, lights began flashing blinding colors and smoke began to fill the stage, obscuring the audience's view for a moment. When the lights finally returned to normal and the smoke began to fade, the fairy godmother was revealed with her wand and sparkly yellow dress. She was smiling kindly at Sayu-rella, who was predictably quite shocked at her arrival.

"W-who are you?" Sayu-rella breathed, voice still laced with sadness and face still stained with tears.

"I am your fairy Godmother," the other said gently, placing a comforting hand on her head, as if petting her. "I'm here to help you."

"Can you really do that?" Sayu-rella said excitedly, eyes shining, this time not with tears but hope.

"Anything I can do for you dear," her Godmother answered with that same, caring smile. "I hear you wish to go to this ball?" Sayu-rella nodded eagerly in response.

"Very well, I will see what I can do." The fairy looked around, murmuring to herself about the things that she'd need. "First up, we need something to get you there somehow... Aha!" She "spotted" the pumpkin in the window. "That'd do nicely for a coach." With a flick of the wand, the pumpkin was replaced with the good old coach cardboard cut out. "And of course, we'd need a coachman and some footmen to attend to the coach..."

Apparently, the makers of the props had decided to listen to Sayuki and Ryoma when they told them that the mice, rat, and lizard costumes were _not_ going to work, because the little animals zoomed onstage, all at their natural size. These were actually all remote controlled machines (made by Kaze) covered in little scraps of cloth that made rather convincing animals (kudos to Yukina). The little animals zipped around, weaving in and out and around Sayu-rella's feet as she squeaked and did a odd little dance trying to avoid them.

"Ah, those should do quite nicely," the godmother said with a smile. With the flick of her wand, the smoke and flashing lights were back, and all the little animals were replaced by the horses, footmen, and the coachman. The horses each gave a little kick and shook their head as the men all swept a bow, then silently escorted the horses offstage to attend to the coach.

"And..." The fairy turned around and regarded Sayu-rella with a critical eye. "You'll need to get rid of those dirty old rags." Another flick of her wand, and the smoke machines were at work again, distracting the audience with help from the lights. Down in the crowd, Kuroki shook her head, cursing. Those lights were blinding.

The moment the smoke had covered enough of the stage that she was completely hidden from view, Sayuki dashed off the stage, the fairy following to assist the younger girl with her costume. There really was no need for help though, since Sayuki was almost finished by the time she had arrived. Weeks of scolding from Kaidoh for being late gave you the ability to change quickly.

That, and Yukina had made her practice taking on and off her costume so much that it was practically reflex now.

Sayu-rella, in her new dress, and the fairy were back onstage before the smoke had even begun to filter out.

"Last but not least, I will grant you these slippers," her godmother told her. From the folds of her dress, she pulled out the sparkly, seemingly-glass slippers. They looked the same as Kuroki's, but they were a size or two larger (still smaller than the step-sisters' sizes), considering that Kuroki had freakishly small feet. She handed them over to Sayu-rella, who slipped them onto her feet.

"Now remember this, Cinderella," the fairy told her, "the magic will wear off at midnight. Return before twelve, or else all these things will revert to their original forms. Now go! The prince and the ball are waiting!" Sayu-rella smiled and nodded eagerly, thanking the fairy, then walked offstage, managing to look like she was barely keeping herself from skipping the entire way to the castle. Her godmother watched her leave, smiling at her the whole time.

The lights went out for a moment as everyone prepared for the next scene. The stage crew was quickly changing the set, the actors were taking their positions, and the others were putting the props and such in place. The lights returned and the stage was transformed into a ball room. At the back of the stage, facing the audience, was the "throne" with Prince Ryo-charming seated in it, elbow on the armrest with his chin resting on his hand, looking bored out of his mind. Beside the throne were two men, standing with their backs ramrod straight. The rest of the stage was filled with people aimlessly wandering around, a couple here or there dancing a little to the music.

One of the attendants stepped forward, the faint music ceasing immediately. The crowd looked at him expectantly as he gave a brief explanation of the purpose of the ball. As he finished, the music returned, louder this time, and the people began to break apart into pairs. Those who had nobody to dance with stood off awkwardly to the side, watching the others. If they were female, more often than not, they would approach the prince with sickening sweetness, only to be coldly rejected. They sulked back to their spot, comforted by friends and each other.

And then _she_ appeared.

Ryoma was playing the part of the bored prince flawlessly, no acting needed on his part. And the awe that filled him, the shock and admiration, when he saw Sayuki... well, that wasn't entirely fake either. The emotions flitted across his face as he slowly straightened up, arm dropping, slowly taking notice of her. Sure, it wasn't the first time he had seen her in the dress, but he had been forcing back the feelings, saving them for this moment when he probably needed them the most.

But damn... If he hadn't seen firsthand how terrible her acting had been a few days ago, he would've thought that she was a natural at this crap. She walked onstage, looking around nervously and seeming lost, smiling and politely refusing the men who offered her a dance.

It was like love at first sight at an agonizingly slow pace played over and over and over and over...

Ryoma managed to snap himself out of it and actually start moving. He stood up, eyes still fixated on Sayuki, and wove through the dancing couples, making his way towards Sayuki.

The two stared at each other, Sayu-rella with amazement that the prince was actually right _there_, him with a rather impassive look. And then she blinked and his expression was replaced with a kind smile... So genuine and so different from the little smirks that she was used to him making that Sayuki was surprised for a moment.

He dropped to one knee, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on it. He glanced up at her with a hint of that confident smirk that she was used to seeing.

"Will this beautiful maiden honor me with a dance?" he asked, smirking a little bit more now. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Like hell she was a "beautiful maiden." Next he would be rambling about how she was a "damsel in distress" or some bullcrap like that. The moment he did, he was losing the ability to reproduce.

But they were still acting, so she covered it all up with a small smile, murmuring, "Of course."

Prince Ryo-charming took Sayu-rella's hand, his free hand falling to her waist as hers went up to his shoulder. They both had to admit, the hardest part about rehearsing the play (other than having to learn all the new lines in a day, but then again, everyone else had managed, so of course _they_ had to) was learning how to dance. It had taken a few curses ("God DAMMIT Sayuki, that's like the fifth time you stepped on my foot!") and some rather awkward moments ("... Ryoma, your hand is _not_ supposed to go there.") but they had soon gotten the hang of it.

As they danced, they made small talk, getting to know each other better, and although the conversation was quite natural, for some reason the topic of names never came up . Sayu-rella was just in the middle of laughing at one of his jokes (the odd smiles was back on his face) when the bell tolled, indicating that she had to leave. She hesitated for a moment, then broke away from Ryo-charming, who was shocked and hurt at the sudden departure. The set started to roll as he finally started after her, the couples waltzing off stage one by one.

When the glass slipper fell off of her foot, Sayu-rella let out a squeak that wasn't intentional as she nearly tripped, but she managed to keep her balance and keep running. As she got off stage, Ryo-charming slowed down, bending down to pick up the slipper. He looked up from the glass and stared after the fleeing girl...

The lights dimmed and the backstage crew members scurried about onstage as quietly as possible, changing the sets back to Sayu-rella's home, the actors walking on and offstage. The lights came back on to reveal the step-mother and step-sisters, as well as Sayu-rella standing off to a corner, in their home. There was a knocking noise and the step-sisters squealed, sure that it was the prince to make them their bride. They began bickering ("He's here to see ME!" "No way, he liked me BETTER!") as their step-mother, looking rather smug, shushed them and went to answer the "door". As expected, Prince Ryo-charming, followed by several guards, entered.

"Prince!" the step-mother exclaimed, pretending to be pleasantly surprised. The two sisters promptly shut up and pretended to be civil ladies, something that Kuroki found rather amusing.

"The prince is searching for the owner of this shoe," one of the guards explained stiffly as he pulled out the glass slipper. Apparently none of them were appreciating the step-sisters' presence, and none of them noticed Sayu-rella off in her little area, unnoticeable and seeming unimportant in her servant rags.

"Oh, that is my shoe!" the sisters squealed simultaneously, wrestling each other to snatch the slipper from the guard, who was looking rather harassed. One of them finally won, triumphant. "I had lost it the night before!" With that, she kicked off her shoe and attempted to jam her toes into the glass shoe.

"No, no, no! It's mine!" the other sister shrieked, roughly tugging it out of the first sister's hand as she failed to fit her foot in. She tried to cram her foot in and failed spectacularly like her sister. The step-mother did the same. The prince and his guards looked decidedly disgusted.

"Are there any other maidens in the house?" the guard asked, taking the shoe back and apparently amazed that it was still intact.

"There is me," Sayu-rella said shyly. Her step-mother looked at her sharply, anger and hate flashing in her eyes. Recognition appeared on Ryo-charming's face.

"She is merely the servant girl of this home," the woman said, nearly growling. "She did not leave the house all of the day before. It is-..." She trailed off, shocked, as Sayu-rella quietly took the slipper from the guard and slipped it onto her foot with no effort at all. From her pocket she withdrew the other slipper and presented it to the prince.

"At last, I have found you," Ryo-charming said. The happy smile was back, surprising Sayuki again. "Your name... I had no opportunity to learn it last night."

"It is Cinderella," Sayu-rella answered, looking up at him with hoping shining in her face.

"That is the name of the maiden whom I shall marry. Cinderella!" Ryo-charming announced, happiness almost radiating from him. Then he paused and looked back down at the girl. "... Will you?" he asked quietly. She smiled up at him.

"Yes."

The lights went out for the last time, the audience hearing the sounds of scuffling as they ran about, whispering "Good job!"s and such to each other as they prepared for the final scene of the play. The lights returned and they were back at the castle, the Prince in a tuxedo (Yukina had gone through the fires of hell to get one his size, "the scrawny little kid") and Sayu-rella back into her ball-gown, serving as a wedding dress at the same time. In front of the pair stood the priest.

"... And Prince, do you take Cinderella to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he asked, looking up and staring at Ryo-charming. The prince didn't hesitate.

"I do."

"And Cinderella, do you take the prince to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest questioned, turning to Sayu-rella. She smiled at Ryo-charming, nearly melting out the hearts of everyone in the audience.

"... I do."

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest said, seeming satisfied. His job was now done. The couple turned to face the other, smiling gently at each other.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Kuroki whimpered to herself, practically bouncing up and down in her seat, trying to contain her excitement. "Fucking KISS already!"

"It is a pretend kiss, unless you plan on doing what the girl did to us," Tezuka reminded her quietly. She blinked and turned to look at him.

"Forgot you were there," she smirked. "You're way too silent. And nah, I'm not gonna mess with them. They're gonna kill me even more than they already more if I do. But AW, isn't that cute?"

Sayu-rella slid her arms around Ryo-charming's neck as he cupped her face with both hands, the two of them leaning closer. Their eyes closed on instinct.

Closer, and closer, and closer, and closer...

"Ryoma..." she whispered, and he could feel her breath on his lips. This was the distance, exactly how far apart they had practiced, and yet he still wanted to get closer, to close that gap.

But he resisted.

He remembered the consequences of what had happened the last time he lost control, and he never wanted to go through that awkwardness again. So he fought against the urge, the want and needing that filled him.

The curtain dropped and he was left feeling empty when they pulled apart.

* * *

_... Well. A kinda sad ending, but meh. Next chapter is also fawesome in my opinion. :D I love the cultural festival chapters..._

_KUROKI VS FANGIRLS. PLACE YOUR BETS. Sayuki will give you a cookie if you bet on the fangirls just cause she doesn't think that anyone will..._

_EIS WURFEL! X3  
_

_Anyways, I hope you really, really liked this chapter (and will like the next one) because of the chapters 29-32. NO SPOILERS but I'll say this: if you hate drama, you will hate those chapters. There's hardly _any_ humor (ANY) in those chapters and it's all serious business. That's right. For three full chapters, FSC will be going so serious that you will barely recognize it. D:_

_PH33R TEH ANGST._

_Before we worry about the doramaness, though, I hope this chapter makes up for all the seriousness coming the chapter after next. :D_

_Thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews! I'm not going to do a giant review reply like I did back in chapter 23 right now, but I think there will be one at the end of chapter 32. So there's something to look forward to. :3_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	29. Chapter 29

_WHOO! Sorry for the sorta late update... I half forgot and was half lazy. XP_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

_=.=..._

_~Ryuu_

* * *

"Whoo, finally done with that!" Sayuki grinned, stretching her arms above her head. Ryoma walked silently beside her, hands in his pockets. They had both changed out of their costumes and were wandering aimlessly around the campus, searching for Kuroki and Tezuka who had apparently disappeared as soon as the play had ended.

"Damn, I give up," Sayuki groaned as they had no success in finding either of their senpais. "Don't know where they ended up... We should've asked Yukina-chan."

"C'mon, let's just go to the cafe and then look for them later," Ryoma said, nodding over to the direction of the cafe. Sayuki looked reluctant but she followed anyways.

They were met with some very unpleasant faces.

"Oh God, Yukina-chan could've at least told us that the cafe was run by the Gaichu's class," Sayuki groaned. For there was Mayumi Gaichu serving her younger sister, Megami Gaichu, and her younger sister's friends.

Ryoma put one foot into the room and did an abrupt about face. Sayuki smirked.

"Not gonna come?" she asked teasingly as she leaned against the doorway. He rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"You know I'm not going anywhere near one of those fangirls with you right next to me," he grumbled. "You go if you want." Sayuki snickered and followed him.

"No fun if you're not gonna give me the tickets," she grinned. "And besides, you're the one who was complaining about not wanting to go find them. I'll go and you can go hang out with your fanclub." Ryoma made a face that clearly said that he did NOT want to go within fifty feet of those people. Sayuki giggled.

"Oh, there you are!" Kuroki grinned as she caught up with her two friends. Tezuka trailed after her at a much slower pace. "Where were you guys? We were looking all over for you."

"We could say the same," Sayuki answered. "You guys just disappeared after we went to go change."

"I told you that they would not be out that quickly," Tezuka said quietly. Kuroki glared at him.

"Wow, Eis Wurfel, never really took you for the 'I told you so' type," she muttered. "Anyways, you guys already went to the cafe right?"

"Yeah, and Ryoma nearly bolted at the sight of who was in there," Sayuki giggled. Ryoma rolled his eyes. "Older Gaichu and younger Gaichu and her friends are hanging out over there. Apparently the older Gaichu's class is the one doing the cafe." Kuroki made a face.

"Why would Yukina give us tickets to _their_ place?" she grumbled. "I guess we'll go there when the Gaichu's shift is over..." She grumbled to herself, shaking her head.

"Probably just to piss you off," Ryoma smirked. "So now what? We head to the haunted house?" Sayuki no longer looked so cheerful at the mention of "haunted".

"Gah, she probably did," Kuroki muttered. "Yeah, haunted house sounds good right now." That familiar evil grin spread over her face as an idea occurred to her. Luckily, no one but Tezuka noticed because Sayuki was too busy being scared of the haunted house and Ryoma wasn't really paying attention.

"What evil plan have you thought of this time?" he asked quietly under his breath. Kuroki turned the grin towards Tezuka, which was slightly disturbing.

"When Sayuki's gonna tear someone's arm off in fear, I'm not gonna be that person," she announced. "Even though I think it's hilarious, I still don't wanna risk my arm. I deserve a break from that after dealing with that for so many years. So..." She jumped in front of Ryoma, who still wasn't really listening, and he stumbled back in surprise. "Ryoma's gonna do it for me."

"... What?"

* * *

"Wah, Oishi, Oishi! It's Ochibi and the others-nya!" Eiji shouted excitedly as the group of four approached the haunted house. He was dressed in a bakeneko (ghost-cat) costume, complete with a tail and mask and everything. His mask was currently pushed up, revealing his face so that he could grin cheerfully at his friends.

"Kitty Boy indeed," Kuroki smirked, then she stared and blinked at Oishi who had just emerged from the classroom in his normal school clothes. "So... what? You're not doing anything for the haunted house?"

"Oh, no," Oishi laughed. "I let people in and make sure they come out safely. I tried, but the others insisted that I just couldn't act scary." He shrugged.

"So who else is a part of this?" Sayuki asked, looking around. The outside looked quite scary, with black, blood-stained (red paint) curtains hanging from the top of the doorway. Above the door was a sign that said HAUNTED HOUSE in drippy red paint with some scary paintings of ghosts and the like.

"Eh~ I think..." Kuroki looked thoughtful as she counted off the people on her fingers. "So there's Kitty Boy, Egg head, Sushi Son, Data Dude... Is that it?"

"Fuji as well," Oishi added. "So basically, it's a sort of mini-maze inside, but no matter which path you take, you'll always come back out the entrance. There will be people and props trying to scare you the entire way, so be prepared!"

Sayuki looked pale. Kuroki snickered behind her hand and disguised it as coughing as Ryoma merely sighed and shook his head. He'd be lucky if he got out of there with his shoulder still properly located.

"How many people can go in at a time?" Kuroki asked, her smirk growing. Ryoma rolled his eyes. Hadn't she finished with her pranking? At this rate, they'd be playing tricks on each other for all their lives to get even.

"Well, for safety reasons, we recommend going in pairs," Oishi said. "If you go in a group larger than that, sometimes when people are startled, they end up tripping over each other. And going in by yourself generally isn't a good idea."

Kuroki's smirk was almost defying the laws of physics by now.

"So Ochibi and Sayuki-chan can go in first!" Eiji said cheerfully, stealing Kuroki's words as she had just opened her mouth. She shot him a half-hearted glare then agreed with him.

"We'll go in halfway so just wait for us if anything goes wrong," she said. "Now, onwards you two go! Shoo, shoo! Go have your little adventure together!"

"I'll wait for you outside, and you can call me for help too," Oishi told them. Sayuki and Ryoma nodded.

"You two have fun," Kuroki sing-songed, waving at them as they pulled apart the black curtains.

"Same could be said for you guys," Sayuki muttered under her breath. Ryoma chuckled and Kuroki pretended not to hear her.

As expected, it was almost completely dark inside. There was just barely enough light to see where to put their feet and to see the walls around them. Sayuki suppressed a whimper, one arm immediately clinging to Ryoma's as the other entwined her fingers with his. She really, really, _really_, hated the dark. Especially when she was closed in like this.

Ryoma just pretended that he was still exasperated with her fears and that he _wasn't_ affected with her being so close. In reality, his senses went into overdrive and he suddenly became hyper aware of the places where they were touching, how her breathing quickened as she looked around. And he was definitely aware that his pulse had started speeding up.

They were just turning a corner when...

"WAR- AAAGH!"

Ryoma missed it as he was blinking. But apparently, somebody had leaped out from the shadows behind them to try and scare them. And Sayuki had... tossed him over her shoulder? The poor guy was groaning as he struggled to regain his breath which had been knocked out of him when his back had been slammed onto the ground.

"Sa... yuki?" Ryoma asked warily. Her eyes were full of fear, body trembling as she slowly crouched down and curled herself into a ball, hugging her legs to her chest.

"Sorry," she murmured quietly to the person (dressed as a vampire) struggled to sit up. "Crazy reflexes." The guy chuckled.

"Nah, s'no problem," he grinned, the bloodstained fangs glinting eerily in the dim light. "First time someone's reacted that way, it's a nice change." He offered a hand to help Sayuki up, and Ryoma felt a twinge of irritation when she accepted it, giving him a hesitant smile as her trembling finally stopped.

"So you two siblings or something?" the guy asked with a smile. It was the first time that someone that they had just met didn't assume that they were a couple and it... annoyed Ryoma.

"You could say that," Sayuki answered. She grinned. "Never thought a vampire would be talking to me."

"C'mon Sayuki..." Ryoma grabbed her wrist and dragged her along, ignoring the vampire-man's surprised looks and Sayuki's protests.

"Ryoma, what's up?" she asked, trying to keep up with his fast pace.

"Nothing," he answered, slowing down to a normal walk as he loosened his grip on Sayuki's hand, still reluctant to let go. Luckily for him, he didn't have to since Sayuki had promptly remembered her fear and began clinging to him again.

"Sayuki... why'd you throw that guy?" Ryoma asked, still curious. Sayuki gave him a sheepish, slightly nervous smile.

"I have weird reflexes," she answered, hand squeezing his slightly when they started walking again. "I remember there was this one time back in fourth grade... There was this boy, and we used to mess around with each other a lot. So he was sitting behind me and he was poking me... I think he hit a nerve or something because I accidentally elbow-jabbed him in the stomach."

"Ouch," Ryoma winced, though he couldn't help but feel that slight stab of irritation at the mention of the boy. Sayuki merely laughed a little bit, shifting a little closer to him when they turned another corner.

Not to anyone's surprise but Sayuki's, another creature leaped out, this time from in front of them. Ryoma barely had enough time to react and hold her back in order to make sure that the guy didn't get hit in the precious family jewels.

Predictably, the guy looked surprised.

"Heh, sorry about that Taka-san," Sayuki said sheepishly, recognizing him instantly even through his zombie disguise.

"No problem," he answered, smiling at them. "I just didn't expect you two to be here."

"Kuroki and Tezuka-senpai are on their way," Sayuki grinned. "So you better get ready."

"Right," Taka answered. "Then you two just keep on moving." Ryoma gave a curt nod and the pair went along on their merry way.

They went on for a while, nothing significant happening other than Ryoma having to restrain Sayuki from punching or similarly harming several people. Those people included Inui (who was rather shocked but immediately whipped out that old green notebook and began scribbling down data), some random girls who started screaming furiously at Ryoma to "watch your girl!", and some other guys who were surprised but thought it was funny.

Unexpectedly, Ryoma found the guys more annoying than the girls.

They were almost at the end (a random guy had told them that they were almost out, but he said with a mischievous smirk that wasn't unlike Kuroki's), walking along peacefully.

"... Hey Ryoma," Sayuki said quietly. He almost had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Yeah?" he answered, slightly more concerned about when the next person was going to pop out and scare the crap out of Sayuki. She opened her mouth to answer...

And then they got several buckets of water dumped on them.

They stood there, shocked expressions on their faces, frozen in surprise. The water had been cold... Really cold. They recovered just in time though, because they saw a flash of a camera just as they got over their initial surprise. Sayuki then proceeded to start swearing in multiple languages, Ryoma glaring in the general direction of the camera flash.

"God DAMMIT!" Sayuki hissed, storming over to the dark corner where the flash had come from, all fear forgotten in her rage. Ryoma followed her, squeezing the excess water out of his shirt as he went. Sayuki tore the curtains apart, revealing Fuji, the same smile on his face, and one of his classmates, nervously clutching the camera with an expression of fear etched onto his face.

"Fuji-senpai," Ryoma growled threateningly, keeping a hand on Sayuki's shoulder just in case. "What are you doing?"

"It's part of the haunted house," Fuji replied, standing up from his crouching position and dusting himself off nonchalantly. He gave a hand to the boy beside him. "The exit is right over there," he continued, nodding over in the direction in which Ryoma and Sayuki had been going. "So we decided to give the visitors one last surprise, one that they wouldn't have been expecting, and catch a picture of their surprised faces."

"All we got was your pissed off faces though," the boy next to him said shyly. The camera they used was one of those that instantly printed the picture after you took it, so he handed them the photo. Sayuki giggled a bit despite how ticked she had been a second ago. It was kinda funny. They were soaked and they looked absolutely _furious_... which they had been.

"Ugh, let's just get out of here," Ryoma grumbled, dragging Sayuki out. Fuji laughed, waving at them as they left, the boy next to him saying goodbye timidly.

"Can't wait until Kuroki and Tezuka-senpai find out the surprise," Sayuki snickered. The look on Kuroki's face... If the guy took the picture fast enough, it would be freaking _priceless_.

"Hn," Ryoma grunted in agreement, a smirk spreading over his face. A frown quickly replaced it. "We're gonna have to walk around in wet clothes now."

"S'ok, we're not the only ones," Sayuki grinned, pointing out all the other people that had apparently just exited from the haunted house, seeing as they were all drenched too. "It'll just suck when we have to sit down for the movie. I wonder if the Gaichu's shift is over..." They went over to a corner where there were no other people around to wait for Kuroki and Tezuka. Sayuki began to shake her head back and forth, spraying water everywhere.

"Gah, don't do that," Ryoma grumbled, wiping the water from his face. She stuck out her tongue immaturely, making him roll his eyes.

"Huh, I think my hair grew out again," Sayuki commented, fingering a few strands of hair. "Might have to trim it again..."

"Whatever," Ryoma answered, patting Sayuki on the head and mussing her wet hair. "Kuroki and Captain Tezuka are out, c'mon." He started to walk over to their senpais, turning around with a questioning look on his face when Sayuki didn't follow. She stared at him with a dumbstruck look on her face.

"Dude... Did you... Grow taller?" she asked, snapping out of her daze. He blinked, confused. Frowning, she walked up to him, placing a hand on her hand and bringing it out over to Ryoma's face to compare their heights. "You _did!_ We used to be the same height and now I'm up to your eyebrows!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "God dammit, now even YOU'RE taller than me!"

"Wassup?" Kuroki asked as she approached the pair, Tezuka sweat dropping as he trailed after her. She had been criticizing every little detail of the haunted house as they went along, scared the pants off of the people that were attempting to frighten _her_, and somehow had sensed the water coming and kicked the bucket over to the kid with the camera. He had to go get a new one now because the water had ruined it, and Fuji was soaked. Kuroki had apologized to them and promised to pay the kid back for the camera.

"Kuroki~" Sayuki whined, running off to hug her friend. "Ryoma went through a growth spurt and now he's TALLER than me!"

"Whoa, seriously!" Kuroki exclaimed in surprise. She eased Sayuki off of her and went over to Ryoma, who was slightly annoyed from their overreactions. "Heh~ Lil' Ryo-ryo's finally growing up! Still shorter than me though," she grinned, patting him on the head. "Whoa, you two are soaked... They got you, didn't they?"

"And I see that you don't have a drop on you," Sayuki grumbled, scowling.

"But you're gonna have to do something about your clothes," she said, poking Sayuki's wet shirt. Sayuki swatted her hands away, rolling her eyes.

"I'll be fine, I'll just wait for it to dry," she answered. "I mean, we're not the only ones who are soaked."

"True enough," Kuroki shrugged. "So do you wanna head to the cafe now?" The other three agreed and they made their way over... Only to discover that the older Gaichu was still there.

"Yo mo gao chor!" Kuroki groaned, smacking her forehead in exasperation. "Screw it... Eis Wurfel, Ryo-ryo, you two head in. The worst thing that she can do is start cozying up to Tezuka, and it's not like that hasn't happened before..."

"I'll pass," Ryoma answered, spying Gaichu Megami. "I don't think I want to be glomped. Besides, I'm still soaked..."

"And that'll probably make her happier than you could believe," Sayuki snickered.

"I will pass as well," Tezuka said, looking rather wary. "I believe that the movie should be starting in half an hour."

"Ugh, thirty minutes isn't long enough to head home and get out of this crap," Sayuki grumbled, holding out the edges of her shirt. "So what are we gonna do that'll take less than thirty minutes...?"

"We could show you around the school." Sayuki blinked and turned around in surprise, Fuji and Yuuta behind the group.

"Whoa, Apple and Little Apple, what are you two doing here?" Kuroki asked, raising an eyebrow. Yuuta looked annoyed at the nickname, but Fuji merely smiled.

"My part is over," Fuji answered. "That last stunt you pulled got me wet, so I had to change before we came to find you. Yuuta is here visiting."

"Oh, heya, Reindeer-kun," Sayuki grinned. "Fuji-senpai." Yuuta stared at her incredulously.

"Why the hell do I get all the weird nicknames?" he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sayuki only grinned at him, and Ryoma felt the irritation return at full force.

"In any case," Fuji continued, chuckling a bit, "I thought that we could show Yuuta-kun, Echizen, and Sayuki-chan around the school, since they might be coming here in a few years." Kuroki shrugged.

"Not like we have anything else to do," she answered nonchalantly. "What do you guys think?" The others agreed, and they were off on a tour around the school.

Ryoma was absolutely bored, doing his best at ignoring the pangs of annoyance as Sayuki chattered with Yuuta. He glanced around, looking for something of interest, when his eyes fell on the clock, his eyes widening. He tugged on Sayuki's hand, making her turn to him in confusion.

"Movie is in three minutes," he hissed. She blinked. And since she had been paying attention to what Fuji had been saying, she knew that the movie was going to take place all the way on the other side of the school...

The group went off at a mad dash that was not unlike the time when they had run to school after the sleepover.

"Here... four tickets... for the movie..." Ryoma gasped, handing the girl standing in front of the multipurpose room the four tickets. She double-checked them and let them in.

"See you guys later then," Fuji smiled. Yuuta watched them enter with a slight wave. Sayuki grinned and waved back, Kuroki lazily lifting a hand, Ryoma resisting the urge to scowl, and Tezuka giving them a nod.

"Crazy," Kuroki muttered as they tried to find their seats in the crowded room. "Can't believe so many freaking people came to see a movie..." They had finally found the four empty seats, right in the middle of the fourth row, and they practically had to climb over and on top of people to reach their chairs."

"Finally," Sayuki grunted as she slid into her seat. Ryoma sat down on her left, Kuroki to her right and Tezuka to the right of her. "But hey, at least we got good seats..." They stared at the screen that had been pulled down, waiting for the projector to turn on.

"What movie is this, anyways?" Kuroki asked as the lights began to dim and as the mumblings and buzzing died down.

"Juleo and Romiet," Tezuka answered quietly.

"... The fuck?"

"It's an original plot," he explained, seeing the very, very confused looks on the others' faces. "It's similar to Romeo and Juliet, except that the genders are swapped and as such, the story has some changes to it."

"Heh~" Kuroki murmured. "Sounds interesting at least."

The projector turned on as light slowly began to grow brighter on the screen. At first it was all white, then it turned to a computer screen. They saw someone moving a mouse around as they selected a clip and the movie began.

As it turns out, the movie _was_ in fact, very interesting. It started off with the birth of Romeo Montague, who was, in fact, female. Her father was so disappointed that he did not have a son that, after a heated argument with Romeo's mother, he declared that Romeo would be raised as a boy. She was nicknamed Romi, something that her mother had insisted upon, but otherwise there was nothing that would make others suspect her true gender.

In the Capulet house was a similar story. Juliet, a rather feminine appearing male, was raised as a girl in order to prevent the Capulets from embarrassment at having such a girly son. He was usually called Julius or other masculine variations of his name, and his personality was rather tomboyish, but everyone believed that he was a girl.

After the gender issue had been explained, the movie continued onto the familiar scene with Count Paris wanting to marry Juliet. The Capulet, knowing that the Count would most likely be enraged upon discovering the boy's true gender, reluctantly tells him to wait two years to attend the ball that the Capulets would be hosting.

Meanwhile, Romi's cousin, Benvolio, notices Romi's odd behavior and discovers that Romi is infatuated with Tybalt from the Capulet family. Mercutio, a relative of the Prince of Verona and Romi's friend who doesn't know that she is a girl and who despises Tybalt, believes that she is in love with Rosaline. Benvolio and Mercutio take him to the ball, where Romi and Julius meet, falling in love with each other, yet confused because they both believe that they are of the same gender. Later, Romi sneaks into the Capulet courtyard, seeing Julius sitting on the edge of the balcony. They learn of each other's true genders and agree to marry, finding Friar Laurence, who agrees to marry them.

Tybalt discovers that they had snuck into the ball and challenges Romi to a duel, who refuses to fight. Mercutio, angered, accepts the duel on Romi's behalf and is slain by Tybalt. Finally, Romi slays Tybalt. The Prince exiles Romi because of the death of Mercutio. Romi sneaks into Julius's chamber, and both are devastated when they learn that Julius's father had agreed to marry Julius to the Prince. In the end, they agree to swap places, pretending to be each other. Julius would leave the country as Romi, and Romi, as Juliet, would take the potion from Friar Laurence that would allow her to stay in a death-like coma for 24 hours. Afterward, Romi would go to Julius, where they would be free to do as they wish and where Friar Laurence would marry them.

Unfortunately, the plan went awry when the Prince of Verona discovered that it was, in fact, Romi and not Julius. In his rage, the Prince killed Romi in her death-like sleep. Worried when Romi didn't arrive, Julius returned to the country and saw the Prince killing Romi. They duel, in the result that they both kill each other. Friar Laurence arrived, seeing all the corpses. In the end, he convinces the Montague and Capulet families that the feuding would have to cease, lest more people end up in similar fates.

The credits were rolling, and the four blinked when they realized that the movie was over. Kuroki narrowed her eyes, standing up and leaving the room like everyone else.

"Freaking corny movies about love," she grumbled as they exited. "Sure, it was interesting, but they all kill each other in the end. Wonderful. Why didn't they just kill each other and save us all the trouble?"

"Kuroki, I know you hate sappy romantic tragedies, but really," Sayuki sighed. "If they all died, then what would be the point?"

"There was no point in the first place," Kuroki answered, but she dropped the subject after that. Sayuki stretched with a yawn, Ryoma trailing behind her and Tezuka beside him.

"We still haven't been to the cafe," Ryoma said after a few moments of aimless wandering and silence. "Might as well go there and use the tickets."

"Doubt the Gaichus are still there anyways," Kuroki muttered. "Even if they are, I don't give a damn. I scared them shitless this morning anyways, and the Eis Wurfels can deal with the squealing and glomping."

"I should have never taught you how to say that in German," Tezuka murmured, shaking his head. Kuroki merely smirked and Sayuki giggled. Ryoma sighed and fished out the tickets as they arrived at the room.

"Ugh, you're kidding," Sayuki groaned as she got her ticket back. "Little Gaichu Megami is still here with her buddies..."

"Thank God that the three birds aren't twittering around right now," Kuroki muttered under her breath. "Looks like you'll still have to deal with fangirls though," she chuckled, gleefully skipping over to a girl to order their drinks.

"Nothing caffeinated for Sayuki!" Ryoma called after her. Kuroki shot him a glare, yelling back, "I KNOW! Unlike _somebody_..." Ryoma opened his mouth, ready to retort, when he felt someone or something attach to his arm. He blinked and glanced down, resisiting the urge to facepalm when he saw Megami clinging to him.

"Hello, Ryoma-_kun_," she purred, staring up at him in what she must've thought was a seductive way. "Fancy seeing you here... I saw your performance earlier... A very charming prince you made, indeed... Though you could've done better. That girl, Saiki Sayuki was it?"

Ryoma didn't answer. All that was going through his head at the moment was, "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit." They hadn't considered that people from Seigaku would come and see the Cinderella play, which was pretty dumb of them. And if people recognized them, as Megami obviously had, then the rumors would start... And all Hell would break loose.

"Aw man, why does everything always come down to fangirls?" Sayuki muttered under her breath as she saw Megami clinging to Ryoma. She looked up at Tezuka. "Senpai, you're lucky the older Gaichu isn't here. You and Kuroki don't have to deal with this." She looked back in front of her, where Megami's three friends were now standing, glaring at her. "And if you'll excuse me... Go join Kuroki, I apparently have some classmates that want to talk to me." She left with the three girls, leaving Tezuka to go follow Kuroki as she had suggested.

"It appears that Echizen and Saiki are having some trouble," he told her quietly. Kuroki jumped, not having heard him, then let out a huff of annoyance.

"Those two have enough practice with this kind of thing, they'll be fine," Kuroki answered, waving a hand impatiently. "Don't scare me like that again." She handed him two of the drinks, taking two on her own.

"Hn," he answered as they went to find Ryoma and Sayuki. Kuroki smirked at the sight, then beckoned for Tezuka to sit down at a table and merely watch them struggle. She sipped her drink, snickering at Ryoma's annoyance and Sayuki's indifference to the girls' whining.

"You really do find too much happiness in the suffering of others," Tezuka commented as he watched her chuckle. She blinked and turned to him, as if just remembering that he was there.

"Neh, I know I'm a sadist," she smiled, turning back to the scene. "And I know when enough is enough... Sometimes I just can't resist pulling a prank like the Cinderella play though. By the way, good timing with your fever."

"Hn," Tezuka replied, sipping his drink. You couldn't really answer something like that. Kuroki shot him a glare.

"What does that even mean?" Kuroki grumbled, giving a quick glance back at Ryoma and Sayuki to make sure that she hadn't missed anything before turning back to look at Tezuka. He looked confused and she rolled her eyes, continuing, "You know... 'Hn.'"

"Hn," he answered, partly because there really was no meaning and partly because a bit of mischief that he had not felt in a long while was resurfacing. He _wanted_ to annoy her... Maybe this was why Kuroki was so sadistic. It was kind of funny to see people's reactions sometimes.

"I swear to God, if you weren't such an emotionless ice cube, I'd say that you were doing that just to taunt me," Kuroki grumbled, sipping her drink again. Tezuka's mouth twitched, forming a half smile, half smirk. She saw the expression on his face from the corner of her eye, turning around so fast she nearly got whiplash to stare at him incredulously. The smirk/smile was gone but...

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you just...?" She trailed off, then deciding that she had imagined it, muttered, "Never mind." She let out a loud, surprised laugh when Megami attempted to kiss Ryoma, and then she stood up. Tezuka gave her a questioning look, and she grinned at him.

"I think it's time that we go help out our little buddies with their 'pest' problem..."

* * *

_Yush, Kuroki-the-awesome just made a bad pun. Remember, Gaichu=Pest XD_

_In any case... I randomly threw the Romeo and Juliet thing in there. Don't even ask. It's just... random._

_Well, say goodbye to the good, fun, happy times. The dark, depressing, drama-filled chapters are up next. D:_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	30. Chapter 30

_Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter, finally._

_Drama begins._

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai_

YAY! IT'S HALLOWEEN~ KUSHISHISHI~ :] FREE CANDY~ AND U KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR SAYU :P

-Ryuu

* * *

The cultural festival had passed, and soon it was the weekend again. As Ryoma had suspected, there had been quite a few people from Seigaku that had seen the Cinderella play, and a handful of them had recognized Ryoma. Fewer had noticed Sayuki, since she had hair extensions at that time. And even fewer, possibly only Megami, had put two and two together. But Megami was all it took for rumors to start flying and for fangirls to start raiding Sayuki's locker with hate messages again. This time, Suigo, Daichi, and Kaze couldn't scare them off because really, they were Ryoma's fangirls, not theirs, so why would the girls give a damn?

Sayuki seemed torn between amusement and extreme irritation. By Saturday, she still hadn't decided and so Ryoma and Kuroki made sure to keep her happy. Negative Sayuki, and all the many sides of that personality, were usually not very pleasant to deal with.

Despite their best efforts, the sarcastic side of negative Sayuki appeared on Saturday morning.

Ryoma threw his pillow at the alarm clock that had begun ringing then quickly buried his head back into the pillow, trying to gain as much sleep as possible before Sayuki burst into his room, annoying and happy as always, pulling him out of bed for some reason or another. A minute passed... five... ten...

Ryoma blinked and stared at his clock again. An hour. A whole freaking hour. It was eight, and Sayuki still had not started jumping on his bed or poking him or yelling in his ear or hitting him with his pillow or pulled of his blankets or ANYTHING.

No way.

Ryoma smiled sleepily to himself. Finally, for the first time since Sayuki had arrived from America, he would be allowed to sleep as long as he wanted to... His last random thought before slipping back to sleep was that he hoped that Sayuki would feed Karupin, since he wouldn't be getting up until noon or so.

* * *

Ryoma was rudely awakened around one in the afternoon by having Karupin leap onto his bed with a hiss and a tennis racket tossed on top of him, narrowly missing his head.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, when the hell did you plan on getting up?"

Ryoma groaned, turning over, Karupin jumping off the bed with a meow of annoyance, stalking out of the room with its tail high in the air. The racket fell off the bed as he sat up, yawning sleepily. He blinked blearily, looking over at Sayuki who was staring hard at him, almost glaring, at the doorway.

"What do you want?" he asked, stifling another yawn as he ran a hand through his messy hair. He was too tired to notice her mood... which was bad. Very, very bad.

"Well, little princess," Sayuki said with a slight snort, walking over to his bed, "It's one o'clock. In the afternoon. Do you know what that means?"

"... That I finally got to sleep in for the first time since you came here?" Ryoma answered, confused. His brain was still trying to wake up, so you couldn't really blame him for not thinking straight.

"Nah, it just means that your dad happened to experience a sudden urge to play tennis," Sayuki replied, nonchalantly checking her nails. "And since you were asleep the entire time and he couldn't wake you, he had to drag _me_ out of bed and throw me onto the tennis courts for a couple of hours and pretty much destroy me because I, like you are right now, was still half-asleep."

"And?" Ryoma had not taken in a word of this and was wondering when Sayuki would shut up and leave so he could go back to sleep... Maybe another half hour and then he'd get up and eat lunch. Or brunch or whatever it was.

Sayuki let out a little disappointed sigh, shaking her head sadly. She stepped forward so that she was right next to the bed, leaning down so that they were face to face.

"And I thought you were smart," she murmured, her split colored eyes gleaming almost scarily. "I heard that you memorize things best when you wake up... Let's see if that's true." Ryoma blinked, not understanding, letting out a yelp as Sayuki jerked his blankets aside, pulling his foot so that he fell out of bed.

"The hell was that for!" he groaned, rubbing his head. Sayuki ignored him, pulling him to his feet and dragging him out of his room, down the stairs, and up to the door. As Ryoma muttered about how she had finally gone crazy, she pulled out her cell phone and found a specific number, which she called.

"Hello? Is this Gaichu Megami?"

Ryoma froze. Why was she talking to the Gaichu?

"Oh, this is Megami-san's older sister? I'm a classmate of Megami-san, I needed to call her to ask her about an assignment that our teacher gave us over the weekend." Sayuki paused, ignoring how Ryoma gawped at her. "Oh, no, it's nothing important. I'm pretty sure she already finished it in class, I just needed to double-check something. Alright, thanks." Sayuki paused, apparently waiting as the older Gaichu passed the phone to her younger sister.

Ryoma was staring incredulously at Sayuki. There was no way, _no freaking way..._

"Oh, hey, Megami-san. This is Sayuki... Yes, your classmate. Yes, I saw you at the cultural festival a few days ago. I'm just calling to let you know... Friend of a friend told me that Echizen-san, yes, that's the one, would be hanging out at the school tennis courts today. I head you were his fanclub's leader, so I thought you'd like to know. No problem! Alright, see you at school on Monday." Sayuki hung up with a click, turning to look at Ryoma.

"You know what to do," she said with false cheer, grinning at him with obvious evil intentions behind the happy mask.

"... HELL NO."

* * *

"You are so freaking lucky that I found you guys before that Gaichu did," Kuroki grumbled, shaking her head as she led Ryoma away from the school, Sayuki trailing behind them, looking even more annoyed than before. "Honestly, I have no idea what your old man was thinking, ticking her off like that."

"Freaking dragged me out and threw me to the fangirls," Ryoma muttered in disbelief. "What did he _do_ to piss her off like that?" Kuroki looked thoughtful, throwing a quick glance at Sayuki to make sure that the girl was preoccupied. She was, glaring at the birds flying overhead, wondering how Kuroki had convinced her to drop the toss-annoyance-to-the-fangirls idea.

"Ryoma," Kuroki murmured so that Sayuki couldn't hear. Ryoma looked up at her curiously. Her tone had been oddly serious, as her voice usually had a hint of sarcasm. "Come to Seigaku tomorrow at noon. I'll meet you at the tennis courts." With that and a quick pat on his shoulder, she took a few steps back to speak with Sayuki.

Ryoma blinked in surprise, shaking his head with a sigh as he walked up to his house, waiting for the girls as he opened the door.

* * *

Sayuki's door was wide open, and she was at her desk, apparently drawing again. Ryoma watched her for a while, standing in the doorway as the only sound was her pencil scratching on the paper. Finally, he knocked softly on the door. The scratching noises stopped as she turned around, an arm hung casually over the back of her chair as she stared at him.

"Lil' sleepy prince, what do you want?" she drawled, lazily twirling a pencil with her right hand. Ryoma gave a light shrug in response, walking over to her desk with his hands in his pockets. Sayuki rolled her eyes, turning back to her drawing. Ryoma watched her sketch for a while, the drawing still being in the beginning phases so he couldn't really tell what it was, before he decided to speak up.

"I'm gonna be out tomorrow for lunch," he began, watching the pencil move. Her hand came to a pause for a moment before it resumed its path.

"And?" Sayuki asked, still concentrating on the picture.

"Nothing, just thought I'd let you know," he answered quietly, turning to leave. He was just about to turn to go down the stairs when Sayuki said something else.

"How long?"

He paused a moment, thinking about it. "Probably an hour at the very most." There was no response, so he continued his way downstairs, wondering why things always seemed weird between them while she was in her negative mood.

* * *

"Ryoma."

He turned around, surprised that negative Sayuki had actually left her room and came looking for him. Usually when she was in her moods, she would just stay in her room unless called out or for meals.

"Yeah?" he asked when she didn't say anything. She was staring at him as though studying him. It was unnerving.

Finally, she tossed a crumpled piece of paper at him. He caught it reflexively, stared at it, then looked up at her questioningly. She merely shook her head, glanced back at the paper in his hand, then went back to her room, shutting the door with a "click" that told him that she had locked herself inside.

He turned his gaze back to the paper, slowly unfolding it. On one side, Sayuki (it was undeniably her handwriting, it was pretty unique) had scrawled the words, "a hint about what Kuroki's going to talk to you about tomorrow". He immediately looked back up to her door. How did she know? He looked back at the paper, reading another line. "Don't ask me how I know... I know more things than you think I do."

Slowly, he turned the paper over to reveal what she had been drawing. It was covered in sketches of herself... At different ages, long hair, short hair, but all definitely Sayuki. To the side, there were many scribbles of random colors as though she had been trying out different colors, trying to decide which one would be best. Below the colors was one more line, written in frustration.

**I CAN'T DECIDE.**

* * *

When Ryoma woke up the next morning, Sayuki was out of the house.

"Said she was out with Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze or something," Nanjirou answered, turning a page in the newspaper, when Ryoma had asked. He felt the irritation flare up... Which made no sense. Sayuki could come and go as she wanted to, she could hang out with whoever she wanted to. And he shouldn't care.

Ryoma returned to his room, picking up the racket that Sayuki had thrown at him yesterday. Nobody had bothered to pick it up after that. He tossed it back and forth between his hands, thinking about what had been happening recently. Well, mainly about how his feelings changed around Sayuki. He couldn't figure it out...

At the Cinderella play, he had seen Sayuki and was nearly dumbstruck. During the rehearsals, he had avoided looking directly at her, wanting to save the surprise for the actual play. And he was surprised... More than he should have been. He knew that she would be pretty, but not that _beautiful_. He had almost forgot how to breathe, and when he remembered he was was still reluctant to disturb the beauty of the scene.

There also was, of course, the part at the end when he had gotten that urge to lean closer, just one little bit... He had wanted to kiss her, just like that one time when he _had_ kissed her, when he had lost his self control. His fear of losing Sayuki agained had prevailed in the end.

Finally, these short bursts of irritation and annoyance. He thought about when it happened, tried to figure out why it happened, and he could only come up with one answer, no matter how much he didn't want to accept it. He was jealous.

And the only reason why he would be jealous of other guys being around Sayuki would be...

It was almost time for him to go meet up with Kuroki. Ryoma gave one last glance at Sayuki's sketches, the words **I CAN'T DECIDE **staring at him... He was already outside the door, but a last whim had compelled him to go back and get the paper.

* * *

Kuroki paced back and forth at the tennis courts. She usually wasn't one for pacing, but just this one time, it helped her think and calm down. She had arrived fifteen minutes earlier, Ryoma probably wasn't going to come for another five, and she had spent all night going over what she was going to say and exactly how she was going to say it. She had no doubt, however, that she would lose control of her emotions and start rambling in the middle of her speech.

_This is not going to be easy... _she thought to herself. _Three times I've done this already, and each brat gets more stubborn every time. It gets harder each time..._

"What are you doing here?" Kuroki looked up in surprise at the sound of the voice.

"Ice cube?" she said incredulously, forgetting to use the German variation of his nickname. "I could ask the same of you..." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I wanted to visit," he replied, as if that explained everything. Kuroki rolled her eyes and continued her pacing.

"I asked why you were here," he repeated after a minute had gone by. She stared at him.

"You had were expecting me to answer?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I would not have asked if I did not," he answered simply.

"Of course, Eis Wurfel doesn't talk unless he wants to," Kuroki muttered. She sighed, stopping next to him. "I needed to tell Ryoma something, so I'm meeting with him here." Tezuka nodded, then looked pointedly over Kuroki's shoulder. She turned around and saw Ryoma there.

"Lil Ryo-ryo," Kuroki muttered. She looked grim, none of her usual smirk nor sarcasm there.

"Captain Tezuka-" Ryoma began to ask.

"Is not part of our conversation," Kuroki cut in. "He just decided to pop up. In fact, we're not going to be anywhere near him when we're talking. Sorry Ice cube, but this conversation kind of needs to private." Tezuka nodded his understanding and Kuroki led Ryoma away from him.

"We're far enough," Ryoma grumbled through gritted teeth as he dug his heels into the dirt to stop Kuroki from dragging him any further. Kuroki shook her head and simply continued to drag him along anyways.

"I might start yelling during this," she muttered. Finally, she stopped and dropped his hand, turning around to face him. To his surprise, she was completely serious, and he thought he might have seen her eyes welling up with tears. But she had led him into the shade, so in the shadows, he couldn't have been sure.

"Ryoma," she said firmly, her voice not wavering a bit. "What do you think of Sayuki?"

Ryoma knew what she meant, but he didn't know the answer, so he interpreted the question in a different way. He felt bad for joking when she was being so serious, but he couldn't help it.

"She's crazy," he answered without the slightest hesitation. Kuroki groaned, her seriousness fading as she facepalmed, glaring at him.

"You _know_ what I mean," she growled, but he thought that she looked less sad than before. "What do you view Sayuki as?"

"I don't know," Ryoma answered honestly.

"A friend?" Kuroki continued. She would not stop pressing him until she got a straight answer. "A classmate? A sister? Just another person in your life? Or do you _like_ her?"

_Exactly what I had been thinking about earlier_, Ryoma thought, thinking carefully about his answer. Kuroki didn't rush him, waiting patiently as he thought about how he had felt about Sayuki, how much his life had changed.

"Friend and sister," he answered at last. He wasn't sure of his answer, and some part of him knew that it was a lie.

"Wrong answer," Kuroki said, shaking her head. "Think about it more. But you have one week... Only until Saturday."

"What's happening this Saturday?" Ryoma asked warily. Kuroki looked at him straight in the eye.

"This Saturday is when the the time limit that Sayuki gave them ends," she answered. "And then she has to keep her promise..."

"And then?" He was dreading the answer. He knew who "them" was, and he could guess at what the promise was. Kuroki stared at the ground, voice edged with sadness.

"She'll have to suffer twice more."

* * *

When Ryoma returned home (Sayuki still wasn't back), the first thing he did was to flop down on his bed, face first. His mind was still trying to sort out the confusion that had come with Kuroki's words. He pushed himself into a sitting position.

_If I don't have it all figured out by tomorrow, Kuroki promised that she'd explain more anyways,_ Ryoma reminded himself. He wasn't sure that he wanted her to tell him more, though. He could already feel a headache building.

He heard the door downstairs slam shut and an irritated, "I'm home!" He sat up. Sayuki was back...

She marched up the stairs, straight into his room and plopping down next to him on his bed. She looked even more annoyed than she had yesterday. She lay back on the bed, covering her eyes with an arm.

"I thought you went to go see them to get _out_ of your negative mode," Ryoma said tentatively. Sayuki shifted her arm so that she could glare at him properly.

"_Don't_ talk to me about those three right now," she growled, hiding her eyes again. Ryoma stayed silent, ignoring the pain building in the back of his head and his anger at Sayuki's anger. It wasn't like _he_ wanted to talk about them.

Sayuki let out a little impatient huff. "Sorry for snapping at you," she said, sitting up. "I'm going to go to my room and try to fix this mood... Don't bother me." She stood up and left the room, Ryoma staring after her. She hadn't been looking at him when she had spoken, but he thought, that just for a moment, he had seen...

He jumped off the bed. There was no way... but he had to make sure. He strode over to Sayuki's door, hesitating, then ignoring her warning about not bothering her, knocked softly on the door. The was the sound of someone moving around clumsily on the other side before the door opened. Then he saw that he had been right.

"Sayuki, are you crying?" he asked, his heart twisting painfully when he made the realization. Her face was wet, he could see the water in the light, and her arm was covering her eyes like it had been when she had been on his bed.

"No I'm not crying shut up and get the hell out," Sayuki mumbled in one straight breath, slamming the door in his face. Ryoma stared at the door for a moment before punching it in frustration. With a groan of annoyance, he put his back to the door, needing to sit down but not wanting to move, instead opting to sit down right where he was.

"Why the hell will no one tell me what's going on?" he muttered, holding his head in his hands.

On the other side of the door, Sayuki had curled up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest, head tucked in, rocking back and forth with an occasional choked sob.

"Why...? I'm a nobody... I don't exist... Mom, Dad, I'm sorry..." She sniffed, turning her eyes up to the ceiling, as if she could see through it straight to the sky.

"I'm sorry for using you..."

* * *

The next morning, Ryoma woke up before his alarm and before Sayuki burst into his room, but he lay there, pretending to be asleep, waiting, hoping that at least this one bit would stay the same. His alarm went off, he slammed it with his pillow, trying to get back to sleep even though he was already wide awake.

The door opened, slowly, as Sayuki slipped inside. Her eyes were slightly puffy, since she had been crying all night, skipping dinner, but a slight smile was on her face. She had found Ryoma asleep outside her door last night, calling Nanjirou to carry him back to his room.

"Ryoma, I know you're awake," she murmured, poking his face. He cracked open an eye, staring at her, deciding whether she was negative or positive. He saw the smile on her face and sat up.

"And I know you're still faking that smile," he answered, ruffling her hair. She pouted but he smiled at her. "It's good that you're better enough to fake, though." Sayuki didn't know what to say to that, so she merely stood up and left the room.

Ryoma smiled, shaking his head. He got up and began changing, knowing that his temporary good mood would soon be replaced with the frustration he had experienced last night. Better make it count while it lasted...

* * *

**Monday (5 days left)**

The day had passed normally so far, for which Ryoma was grateful. This fragile happiness seemed that it would shatter if the slightest thing was shifted from the normal routine. Perhaps Kuroki didn't speak to him, choosing to spend more time with Sayuki, maybe Sayuki had been avoiding Daichi, Suigo, and Kaze, but as long as nobody brought up the subject that had caused tears, pain, and frustration, then nothing was changed.

It was inevitable in the end though.

Well, maybe Momo made it more "normal" than this false routine they were going through, but he was still the one who brought them, more specifically Ryoma, back to reality. And it wasn't his fault, since, after all, it was Kuroki who started it.

Ryoma and Momo had been heading towards the tennis courts for practice when Momo casually said, with a smirk on his face, "So... I heard you kissed Sayuki?"

Ryoma had frozen on the spot, glaring and scowling at Momo.

"Kuroki told me," Momo said hastily. "She said it happened like, two weeks ago..." Ryoma didn't answer, scowl still on his face, as he went off to the tennis courts before Momo.

Momo scratched the back of his head sheepishly before following the boy. The smirk reappeared on his face when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey Echizen! Are you two going out yet?"

The only reply he got was a tennis ball chucked violently at his head.

* * *

Tennis practice was over, and Ryoma's returned bad mood persisted. He didn't want it to infect Sayuki, and he had wanted to hear Kuroki's explanation, so he told her to go home first, under the impression that he waned to continue practicing. She didn't look convinced, but like how he had let her fake her cheerfulness, she let him stay.

"I don't think she believed you," Kuroki murmured, leaning on the fence with her arms folded over her chest. Ryoma nodded in agreement before turning to the older girl.

"I want an explanation," he demanded. "_Now_."

"I figured as much," Kuroki said, shaking her head with a sigh as she stood up and walked over to him. She looked up to the sky, gathering her thoughts for a moment, before looking at him. He stared back expectantly at her.

"Ryoma, first I need you to think about my question from yesterday," Kuroki said. "What do you think of Sayuki? And I don't need an answer now or ever... It's you who needs the answer, and Sayuki who needs to hear it." Ryoma scowled but nodded. He wasn't exactly sure that he wanted to find out the answer, but if she gave him a good enough reason... He remembered something.

"Why did you tell Momo-senpai?" Ryoma growled. "That I..." He didn't continue... It was pretty obvious what he was implying, in any case.

"To make you think faster," Kuroki answered. "I don't go around telling people these things without reason. I know how to keep a secret, contrary to whatever you think. You just need some... Motivation to make your decision." Ryoma's scowl didn't fade. If anything, he was even more annoyed at this explanation.

"Sayuki was crying yesterday," he growled, his heart twisting at the memory. "When she came back from hanging out with those three."

"... The three little birds?" Kuroki asked, frowning but not looking particularly surprised. "I knew she was hiding something underneath that smile, but I figured it was just because Saturday is coming closer... Though it makes sense that those two would want to talk with her more now that the day's almost here."

"'Those two'?" Ryoma asked, confusion and annoyance building. He hated how she was talking in such a roundabout way, he hated how he seemed to know nothing about Sayuki's pain, he hated how he seemed to be the one left in the dark.

"Suigo and Daichi," Kuroki answered. "And please... I know that you're annoyed and confused, but don't interrupt. I'll try to explain everything to you." Ryoma nodded reluctantly. He wasn't sure if she would explain as much as he wanted. Kuroki took a deep breath and began.

"I'll have to start with Sayuki and her eyes."

* * *

_Sorry for the cliffie? Kinda short chapter, but suspense and all that stuff._

_Don't kill me for the drama! D: Believe me, I hate drama so freaking much, and this part was so hard for me to write. But it had to happen, it's the only way these guys are going to get anywhere romance-wise. Even Ryuu, lover of drama, hated this part. XP_

_Thanks for all the reviews guys, you have no idea how happy they make me._

_HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I am writing a FSC Halloween special, but I'm not going to post it up on fanfiction... at least, not yet._

_Go eat candy and get yourselves as hyper as Sayuki!  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


	31. Chapter 31

_Sorry for the late update, but school has been especially annoying this month. :C Add that to some serious bouts of Writer's Block, I barely got to update anything_.

_Well, enough with my sorry excuses. The wait is over... but the suspense continues. :D_

_I can't write romance. Just putting that out there. So sorry for the suckiness. D:_

_Enjoy!_

_-Kai  
_

* * *

"Sayuki was born with her ability, as you know," Kuroki said, closing her eyes. "Suigo's parents have been the family doctors for the three little birds, Sayuki, and me for as long as we can remember, and even they don't know exactly what and why her ability exists, though they say that they're getting closer to the answer. But the point is, since nobody knows about this ability, nobody knew how it worked, especially not Sayuki, the baby. As a newborn, everything is based on instinct. And her instinct was to copy the eyes of the first eyes she saw... Her parents."

"At the same time?" Ryoma asked, before realizing that he had just interrupted, what she had asked him _not_ to do. She didn't seem to mind this time though, nodding.

"Which is the reason why her eyes are two different colors," Kuroki answered. "One for her dad, one for her mom. And nobody knows her true eye color except for maybe her parents, who had seen them for a split second, but they're dead... And they never told her, no matter how many times she asked." She took a deep breath, sorting her thoughts, before continuing. She felt slightly light-headed, telling him all this, the secret that Sayuki and she had kept for forever. He would be the sixth person to know...

"The biggest problem is Sayuki," Kuroki said. "She never knew her true eye color... And since she copied her parents colors, she is technically her parents. Meaning that she has no personality of her own... Or that's what she thinks. In Sayuki's own words, she is colorless, not knowing her own personality, not knowing her real eye color. She thinks that she's using her parents..."

"But shouldn't she just be able to change back to her original eye color?" Ryoma asked, confused. "I mean, it should be the most natural thing for her..."

"Ryoma, I told you. She was just a baby, the only thing she knew how to do was eat, sleep, cry, make waste, and copy..." Ryoma was reminded, just for a moment, of Kabaji from Hyotei. He had been described as an innocent child, pure, copying and learning from others.

"Every time she saw a new person's eyes, she would copy that person's color," Kuroki continued. "But since her parents' eye colors were the first she copied, she would always return to those... She had probably spent no more than half a second as herself, her own color. She spent the most time being her parents until it became the most natural thing for her... So to answer your question, no, she can't change back into 'herself' because it was no longer the most natural color to take."

Ryoma was getting a headache from all this information... It seemed impossible, confusing, out of this world, but at the same time, it made sense.

"So..." He struggled to think, to understand. "Sayuki is Sayuki on the outside, but her personality is her parents... So all this time, it was her _dead_ parents that we've been talking to, not Sayuki?"

"That's what Sayuki's biggest fear is," Kuroki answered. "She doubts herself, knowing that she actually isn't herself, but just a copy of her parents." She paused for a moment, studying Ryoma's face. "I know this is confusing for you... I think Sayuki would be able to explain it better to you, when the time comes."

"I... I think I get most of it," Ryoma answered uncertainly, head still spinning with all that he had been told. Kuroki gave him a moment to take it all in, to comprehend everything that he had been told. "Then... What's the promise that Sayuki made?" he asked, remembering their conversation from yesterday. "Why does she have to 'suffer twice more'?"

"This is what Sayuki hates talking about the most," Kuroki replied. "She never brings up this topic if she can help it, because it hurts her... She has to suffer through all the doubts that she had been thinking of all throughout her life all in one moment when she talks about it. That's why she suffers... And for twice more, well..." Kuroki closed her eyes, turning her face up to the sky once more.

"It's no secret that the three little birds like Sayuki," Kuroki continued with a bitter laugh. "Kaze, however, regards her as a little sister... But there was a time when he liked her more than that, too. All three of them... They've all confessed their love for her before."

Ryoma felt like his heart had just stopped for a painful moment.

"But," Kuroki continued, noting the look of horror on the boy's face, "she rejected all of them. Daichi's, I think, was probably the cruelest." She laughed, but it was hollow. "She told him, 'You've always liked my mother...'"

"What..." Ryoma stopped. "No way." Kuroki nodded sadly.

"Way," she answered. "She told the three of them that they didn't love her, that they loved her parents. She told them all about how she had copied her parents' personalities, and it was killing her on the inside... Both from guilt and from talking about it. In the end, Kaze, he said that he hadn't been sure about his feelings, he admitted that he viewed her as a sister. She tried to convince the other two that they felt the same but... They insisted that they loved her, but what she had said gave them doubts, made them double-check...

"After they confessed, back in third grade..." Kuroki murmured. Ryoma was shocked. Third grade? She had been thinking about this since then? They had feelings for her for so long?

"Well, it had been a few weeks after her parents had died," she said. "I think they had wanted to comfort her by showing them that they cared about her, but they were too young... They didn't think it through. It made her even more depressed, and in the end, she moved to America two days after that. She didn't even give them the chance to say goodbye."

"She came to America because..." Ryoma thought back to when Nanjirou had explained to him why Sayuki was there. "Her relatives were there?"

"Yes," Kuroki answered, nodding. "Most of her relatives were in America, and she moved back and forth between different ones. A few days after she left, I went after her, since her parents had told me to take care of her... But I couldn't live there permanently. I only went back during the summer, when there wasn't school, and it became so that Sayuki was the one taking care of me over there, since I didn't know English."

Ryoma didn't know what to say, didn't have anything to say. So that was Sayuki... A girl who had a unique appearance, just like everyone else, with the personalities identical to her parents when she could have been unique in that too... And she rejected those that loved her because she wasn't her. Ryoma frowned.

"But... Wait," he mumbled. "That... doesn't make any sense."

"Ho? In what way?" Kuroki asked, a slight smirk on her face. She didn't want her hopes up... But maybe this was the right choice.

"If Sayuki copied her parents... Where did her hyperness come from? I'm pretty sure that that's one of a kind."

Kuroki's grin widened.

"I knew that you'd be the one to figure it out."

* * *

**Tuesday (4 days left)**

"Ryoma! Get UP!" Sayuki yelled, frustrated as she chucked the pillow at him repeatedly. He didn't respond, only turning over with a grunt. Sayuki growled in annoyance.

"Fine," she muttered. "You made me do this." She yanked the covers off of him, kicked him off the bed, then buried him in the blanket and pillows until he was forced to resurface, otherwise suffocate to his death.

"Ugh... So tired," he mumbled, shaking his head. He looked up at Sayuki, who was smirking at him. "So violent..."

"Well, you weren't getting up," she said matter-of-factly, then skipped off to breakfast. She paused at the door for a moment. "I guess it kinda cheered me up though. Thanks, lil sleepy prince." Ryoma shook his head, smiling a bit.

He had been exhausted, since last night he had stayed up thinking about everything that Kuroki had told him and about his own feelings for Sayuki. More and more it seemed like he regarded her as more than a friend or sister... He liked it when she was happy, wanted her to smile when she was sad, and felt annoyance, and, dare he say it, _jealousy_ when she was around or even mentioned other guys. He wouldn't say anything, though, not yet, since he had yet to find out what Sayuki had promised Daichi and Suigo. He could guess though.

"RY-O-MA! HURRY _UP!" _Sayuki yelled impatiently from downstairs. He jumped in surprise, then went about getting ready for the day.

He headed downstairs and saw Sayuki waiting for him, his mother still making breakfast. She grinned at him, this smile not so fake as the ones she had been making yesterday, and he found himself smiling back her.

"You two sure seem happy today," Nanako commented, looking back and forth between the two teenagers. They exchanged glances.

"Yeah," Sayuki answered. "Maybe."

* * *

"Echizen, have a girlfriend yet?" Momo asked with a smirk, shouldering his racket as he and the younger boy walked towards the tennis courts together.

"If you're going to start asking this question everyday, you better get used to a negative response," Ryoma answered, once again walking ahead, leaving his senpai to smirk at his back.

* * *

"Kuroki," Sayuki called as she and Ryoma stood outside of the high school gates. "Hurry up!"

"Coming, coming," Kuroki answered impatiently, jogging over to them. "Agh, Kakura, stop it!" The weasel had jumped down from its usual spot on her shoulder and began twisting around her legs.

"Heh, your foot seems to have healed alright if you lost the crutches and can start running," Sayuki said, raising an eyebrow. Ryoma glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Normally, she would have said it with a smile, but these past few days had been anything but normal.

"Nah, I can do some light jogging," Kuroki answered, picking up Kakura who squeaked in protest. "But I still can't do anything else. I finally convinced Suigo's parents that I didn't need the crutches, and they know how stubborn I am. So yeah, they told me not to put too much pressure on my ankle and try to avoid moving fast, but I say, screw it." Ryoma raised an eyebrow at this but Sayuki stayed silent, not bothering to comment. It seemed that the mention of Suigo's parents had thrown her into another lapse of negativity, though this time it was silent. Kuroki sighed, patting Sayuki on the shoulder.

"I'll go home with you guys today," Kuroki said, looking at Ryoma as Sayuki stared at the ground. He nodded. There were still some things that Kuroki needed to explain to him.

"Kakura, you go home first then," Kuroki said to the weasel, who nodded and scampered off. "C'mon Sayuki, get home and sulk in your room." The girl didn't answer, but skated alongside Ryoma and Kuroki as they started off.

They arrived, quickly announced that they were back, and Sayuki promptly went upstairs to shut herself in her room, presumably sulking like Kuroki had suggested. Kuroki gave Ryoma an exasperated look. He only looked worried.

"I suppose you have more to ask me," Kuroki said as the two went upstairs to Ryoma's room.

"Only a few things," Ryoma answered as he shut the door to make sure that nobody could hear them. "What did Sayuki promise them? What's happening on Saturday? And why is she being so... depressed?"

"The first two questions have the same answer," Kuroki sighed, sitting down on Ryoma's bed. He took a seat at his desk, sitting in the chair the wrong way. "Sayuki... She promised them that if they still had the same feelings for her when she returned to Japan, then they could re-confess on the same day that they confessed to her the first time."

"And that's this Saturday," Ryoma murmured. "And because she's going to reject them again, because she has to tell them everything that she told them the first time... That's why she's acting negative?"

"Pretty much," Kuroki answered, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "And really, the fangirls didn't help much. Are they still bugging her?"

"No kidding," Ryoma muttered. "I would tell them to stop but..."

"The old 'pretend-to-be-strangers' rule, which you guys started because of the fangirls in the first place," Kuroki mumbled. "I know. Really, I don't think it matters anymore."

"They wouldn't care even if I told them to stop," Ryoma said. "It'll get worse if I tell them anyways." He sighed. "It's weird... It's like... Two weeks ago, we were laughing our heads off."

"Because of my rehearsals," Kuroki answered dryly. Ryoma smirked.

"Yeah," he answered. "And then, a week after that, we were nervous and busy because of the play," he glared at her and she shrugged, returning the smirk. "And then when the cultural festival ended... Everything seems so fragile now." He stared at his hands.

"I think I know now... How I feel about Sayuki," he said slowly, not looking up. Kuroki stood up and suddenly whacked him on the head.

"Ow! The hell!" Ryoma yelled indignantly. Kuroki looked at him seriously.

"Don't tell me, idiot," she said. "When you're ready, tell Sayuki."

"Before Saturday though," Ryoma added.

"Before Saturday," Kuroki agreed.

* * *

**Wednesday (3 days left)**

"So... Echizen," Momo began conversationally as the duo left the boy's locker rooms. "Have you gotten yourself a gi-"

"No," Ryoma answered, striding ahead.

_Not yet anyways_, he told himself.

* * *

**Thursday (2 days left)**

Today was the day. Ryoma was going to tell her. He had spent the last day mentally preparing himself, trying to plan out what he was going to say, but failing miserably. In the end, he decided that it wouldn't be like him to plan these things out, and that he was better off improvising. He had told himself that he'd be fine over and over again.

He was still nervous as hell though.

Ryoma first realized that when and where was a problem. He couldn't during school, obviously, but after school and before school there was a surprising amount of people that usually hung around the campus, so that wasn't a choice. If he did it at home, his father would probably end up eavesdropping, since he tended to do that at the most annoying times. So where did that leave him?

Shockingly few places, none of them appropriate, seeing as how before Sayuki arrived, Ryoma had devoted most of his life to tennis and never really gave a damn. But once again, he was forced to admit that the moment he met Sayuki, his life had changed in more ways than he could care to acknowledge.

In the end, he went to Kuroki for advice, and she stared at him as though he were retarded.

"Idiot, why do you come to _me_?" she asked in disbelief. "Figure it out... go some place you think is special or something." And with that, she walked away, muttering something that sounded like, "Can't believe what a moron that dense brat is... Don't even know _why_ she..."

And Ryoma was still stuck with an unsolved problem. Probably one of the luckiest things that happened that day was that Sayuki herself remedied this problem.

"Ryoma, come up to the rooftop after school," Sayuki murmured as they passed by each other at lunch. "It's usually locked, but I got permission." Ryoma paused for a moment, then nodded slightly before moving on.

Later, Ryoma realized that it was probably Kuroki who told Sayuki that he needed to talk to her. Once again, he found himself in the older girl's debt. He made a mental note never to complain again when she asked for help on her English homework.

The day dragged on and on. Ryoma found himself glancing at the clock every fifteen minutes, looking at Sayuki from the corner of his eye every five. He had never thought it possible, but the last few hours seemed to stretch for an eternity before the last bell finally tolled. The usual chaos that came with the ending of classes erupted, but Ryoma didn't hear nor see any of it. His eyes were fixated on Sayuki... And every second that passed, he was more and more sure of his feelings, almost to the point where he agreed with Kuroki about him being a dense moron. It was unbelievable how the emotions began overflowing the moment he made the realization.

Sayuki had reached the door now. She turned, and the two exchanged a glance of understanding. She would go on ahead, he would follow. She left, and he waited till everyone left the room before he went after her.

As he walked, he thought about Sayuki. He _did_ like her, it seemed foolish to deny it now. He didn't think about her all the time, though. Not like all those lovesick people who said that they couldn't get that person out of their head.

_No_, he thought with a slight smile. _I've had enough Sayuki in my life to last me a lifetime. And still..._

He didn't even notice that he had reached the last step, but he didn't hesitate as he reached for the door. With every bit of self-confidence and arrogance that made him Echizen Ryoma, his face arranged into its usual calm mask, he opened the door and saw the girl that he loved so much that his mind couldn't even begin to wrap itself around the concept.

_I don't want more of her, I don't need more of her... She is more, and to think that I could've lived without her is the dumbest thing my dense head could ever come up with._

* * *

_Yes, yes, I know, "WAIT WHAT IT ENDS HERE!" Um... yes, it does end here. The chapter at least. :3 I do like killing people with cliff hangers because I'm just that evil... Haha, just kidding. Sorry for all the cliffies, but you know how it works. And if you don't... Sorry?_

_Random chapter theme song: Spinnin' by The Ready Set. I love The Ready Set (especially Love Like Woe :D) and I always thought that he looks like an American Fuji...? Anyone see where I'm coming from here? Anyways, go check out the song. :3_

_Next chapter coming up... I don't know when. Hopefully soon, but with my sibling coming home from college for Thanksgiving this week, I dunno... Gonna go watch Harry Potter over the weekend. :3_

_One last note:_

_ARGH SCHOOL :C NYAAAAAAA T-T  
_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)_

Kushishishi~ I has no school next week~ :] I'm gunna focus a ton of my stories and gettin' them uploaded *sigh*

~Ryuu


	32. Chapter 32

_I will keep my mouth shut and let you read._

_-Kai  
_

* * *

At first, when he stepped out onto the rooftop, Sayuki did nothing to acknowledge him, as she merely stared at the sky, watching the clouds move. Neither of them said anything as Ryoma approached her, then stood silently next to her, watching the clouds with her. Unsure of what she was looking at, he merely waited for her to say something. When she did... he would tell her. He had promised himself that.

Finally, Sayuki looked down and turned to face him. She tilted her head, studying him as if she had never seen him before. They stared at each other, taking in even the smallest of details. They stood there, the wind blowing, and as Ryoma watched, her eyes changed, ever so slowly, the slowest he had ever seen them change. It seemed like the world had been put on mute, life playing in slow motion. At an almost frustratingly slow pace, her eyes morphed...

Ryoma found himself staring back at his own two golden eyes. Slowly, her lips moved, mouthing a single word, her voice breaking the silence that they had both subconsciously created.

"Ryoma."

He didn't answer, continued to watch in silence as she suddenly clutched her head as if in pain with a "tsk" of annoyance. He reached out to place a hand on her head, not sure why his arm was moving but not bothering to stop it, but she recovered from the pain and stepped away from him, her two oddly colored eyes staring back at him again.

"Sayuki..." he began, but she put a finger to her lips to stop him. Turning away, she skipped, almost danced, towards the fence that prevented a careless student from falling to their gruesome death. Flashing a daring smile at him, that old mischievous smile that he loved, she clutched the fence with both hands, carefully placing a foot in one of the holes. With a start, he realized what she was doing, and he ran over to her, fear coursing through him.

"Sayuki, don't!" he shouted, but she was already over and on the other side, balanced carefully on the tiny bit of a ledge, both hands tight on the fence. He wrapped his fingers over her hands, afraid to let go, but she only grinned at him, though this time with sadness in her eyes.

"Don't worry," she murmured, putting her forehead to the fence so that they were almost touching. "If I was going to die, I'd be dead already. I do this a lot..."

"Stop doing it," Ryoma whispered, leaning against the fence so that their foreheads were touching, if only barely. He tried to keep his voice calm, but that fierceness still escaped. "Don't do this. Get over here right now. It doesn't matter if you care," he continued, as she opened her mouth to retort, "because I sure as hell do. And if you don't get on this side in the next thirty seconds, I'm going over there and throwing you over." For a moment, Sayuki looked bewildered, and then she chuckled, shaking her head as she began to climb the fence again. In a few moments, Ryoma had backed away and she had dropped down, grinning at him.

"Alright, Sir Don't-Make-Me-Go-Over there," she said, now choosing to lean against the fence, arms crossed across her chest. Her expression turned serious, and Ryoma suddenly understood that Sayuki had merely wanted a little bit of fun before she had to go through her fears. "I know you have something to say to me... And I think I know we're you're going to go with this." She waved a hand, adding, "But don't mind me and my speculations... Go ahead."

Ryoma eyed her warily, wondering what she had meant by her "speculations", then took a deep breath, almost smiling as a totally out of place thought crossed his mind. A week before, he never would have believed that confessing to a girl would be, in some ways, harder than winning the Nationals.

The amusement of that thought faded as frustration at the truth of the statement took over. How in the world was he going to do this?

_Just do whatever you want..._ The idea crossed his mind. He might as well, it wasn't like he had any other plans in any case. A slight blush spread across his face as he reached out, not entirely sure of what he was doing as he was going entirely on impulse, and hugged Sayuki close to him. He normally avoided close contact, but this just felt... right. She closed her eyes in response, one arm wrapping around him.

"Sayuki, I..." He broke off, knowing what to say but not how to say it. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, forcing back a blush.

"I love you," he murmured finally, squeezing her tighter before releasing her, stepping back to give her room and to see her reaction. She was blushing, and he was sure that he was too, and she looked at him in a way that was shy but not surprised. He wanted to hug her again, but he held back, waiting for her to answer.

When Kuroki had explained everything to him, he had anticipated rejection at first, but he was sure that he could convince her otherwise. But even then... Would she not return his feelings? Suddenly, the fear crashed down upon him. What if she didn't like him back? What if he couldn't help her? What if...

_The most frightening and annoying phrase in any language,_ Ryoma thought bitterly.

"... No," Sayuki whispered softly. The wind carried her voice to him, and even though he had expected it, it didn't lessen the pain any. In fact, the hurt of the rejection seemed to hurt more, as a tiny part of him had been hoping, praying, that maybe she would say "I love you," back the first time... But the rest of him, the pessimistic and realistic part, knew that there was no chance of that happening.

"Why?" The word escaped him before he had even thought of it, even though Kuroki had already told him why. But he wanted to hear the reason from _her_, make sure that Kuroki hadn't been mistaken, make sure that it wasn't only because she really didn't feel anything towards him. That little word, _no_, that terrifyingly powerful word of negativity and rejection, whirled around in his head, seemed to pound at his emotions until only hurt and depression was left. He felt like a cold hand had taken his heart, squeezing it, burning him with the frost. The pain lessened slightly as she opened her mouth to reply. Maybe she would take it back, maybe she would realize that she really did love him back, maybe he wouldn't have to make her suffer through her fears.

"Kuroki told you already," Sayuki murmured in reply, and when she looked up, his heart gave a painful wrench when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I want to hear it from you," he answered, his voice remaining normal despite that his heart was breaking. She stared at him, as though trying to see how determined he was to hear the truth, and she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Ryoma, you know how my eyes can copy the eyes of other people, and through the eyes, their personality and their basic patterns of thought," Sayuki said. "You don't know that I don't actually copy what the people know, though. I don't gain intelligence, so for things like your tennis moves or your favorite color, those I'd have to find out on my own."

"So your ability isn't perfect," Ryoma said, more to himself than to her. She nodded.

"Personality, eye color, and a very, very small part of how they think is all I can do," Sayuki continued. "But that's usually enough. Now..." She paused, closing her eyes and rubbing the eyelids as if her eyes were hurting. She looked back at him, eyes wide open. "Kuroki told you that I copied my parents eye colors. The red is my mother's," she pointed to her left eye, "and the dark turquoise green one," this time she pointed to her right, "is my father's.

"They were the only ones to ever see my own eye color, if only for a short moment, and they never told me what it was," she continued quietly. "And nobody knows why this happens to me. Suigo's parents are working on it... Right now, they say that it's a mutation with my eyes, but that doesn't explain why I have the person's personality." She let out a humorless laugh. "'Eyes are the windows to a person's soul,' I guess."

"Not funny," Ryoma muttered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the drawing that Sayuki had handed him on Sunday (has it really been only four days since then?), smoothing out the creases. "'I can't decide'," he murmured, reading the words yet again. This time, though, he truly understood what they meant.

"My 'color'," Sayuki finished, watching him. "You can't miss something you never had nor remember, but you can always long for it."

"... Sayuki, I've thought about this," Ryoma said, pocketing the drawing again. "You say that you're just copies of your parents, but-"

"Ryoma, do you really get it?" Sayuki looked frustrated now, glaring at him, her eyes watering slightly. "I look like me on the outside, but my personality, both of them actually, the way I think, my likes and dislikes, everything is based on my parents. I'm only using their personalities. I don't know my own personality, my own color, that doesn't exist anymore. Nobody alive knows what it is. I'm a nobody, a copy that doesn't even begin to measure up to the originals."

Ryoma opened his mouth to speak again, but Sayuki cut him off once more.

"Just let me say everything first," she said, almost pleading. "I need to know that you know everything before you start speculating... I'm sorry, I know you'r-"

"It's alright, just go on," Ryoma cut in. He knew that if she started apologizing, he would really never be able to get rid of the pain in his chest. The tears in her eyes were already enough to drive him towards guilt and depression.

_Who is this?_ he wondered. _Is this... This is Sayuki. Not annoyingly cheerful, not sarcastic, not strong... Weak and scared. Do I..._ He felt ashamed for even beginning to think of the question. Of course he still loved Sayuki.

"My mother played badminton." Ryoma blinked at the sudden, random change in the topic, but Sayuki continued. "And my father played tennis. The only thing they ever disagreed about was which sport was better. I was a natural at both..." She broke off with a bitter smile. "Rather, more accurately, I was good at both because I had copied both of my parents'... Normally, since tennis and badminton are such different sports despite their similarities, it's really, really hard for someone to switch from one to another. But I learned badminton, and after they died, I took up tennis. I learned both... Because they knew both.

"So, you could say, that my eyes help me in tennis in more than just copying people," she went on. "Because I was copying my dad, I was 'naturally' good at tennis. I didn't have to start from scratch, everything was already there. It gave me even more of an edge over other people. And already, I had an advantage because I could be whoever I want. I'm nobody, without my own personality, and I'm everybody at the same time.

"And still, I have to wonder, what would I be like if I never had these eyes?" Ryoma heard her voice crack slightly at the end, and he knew that she was close to tears, her fists were clenched and she wouldn't look up from the ground. "Maybe I would've been a normal kid, maybe I wouldn't have done badminton or tennis, maybe, somehow my parents wouldn't have died if that one little thing had been changed."

"And maybe you wouldn't have met Kuroki," Ryoma said. She looked up at him in surprise, and this time he was the one who had to clench his hands, resist running over there and wiping away the tear stains. He was sure that Sayuki had said what she had wanted to say, and he wanted, needed to prove to her that she wasn't as much as a nobody as she thought. "You wouldn't have met Kaze or the others, you wouldn't have moved to America. You never would've even heard of me, we never would've met, you never would've made friends with everyone in Seigaku..." He saw her lips twitch into something of a smile. He had wondered about what Kuroki had said that one day, how she knew that he would be the one to do it. Had she known? Had Sayuki known, like she had about so many other things that she had feigned ignorance about? Had she been hoping?

"I never would've loved you," he continued, almost whispering now. "Hell, I probably wouldn't have ever learned love. You know me, you know how I was. Before I met you, tennis was my life. It still is, actually."

"I have a question, only one," she said. "You can go ahead with trying to convince me that I'm not a nobody or whatever, but... You say you love me... How much?"

"More than tennis," he answered with a smirk. "More than my life. And now that we're on the topic of tennis, that reminds me of another point. Your mother played badminton, your dad played tennis. So what? You play both, that makes you different. They never went through what you went through. They never played both sports, never moved back and forth between America and Japan, never met the people you met and never went through all the ordeals of your life. It's what happens to you that makes you Sayuki. It wouldn't matter if you had started out with a personality like your parents', Kuroki's, or even Captain Tezuka's. Everybody changes... I'm living proof of that. I met you, and my life changed, and I changed with it. People adapt."

"You have a point," Sayuki admitted, but she still seemed unconvinced. "But Ryoma, I've been living with this for all 13, almost 14, years of my life. You don't think I haven't thought about this before? The thing is, it still doesn't change that I'm still-"

"-using your parents' personalities, I know," Ryoma finished for her. "It doesn't change that you don't have your own eye color, that you still don't know how you actually are. But in the end, does it matter?" He took a breath and swallowed... His mouth was dry. He could never remember having talked so much _ever_ in his life, but he had to keep going, convince her... "You could've had normal eyes, but you didn't. That makes you different. And really, I don't think your own personality is as much as a mystery as you think it is. Because I really, really doubt that either of your parents ever got like you do when you're hyper."

And the surprised look on Sayuki's face told him that she had never thought about her hyperness before. It didn't surprise him. She didn't think normally when hyper, it was like she was on an insane high that no amount of depression could bring her down from, and most people wouldn't connect her eyes with hyperness.

"Sayuki, you've been saying the same thing all this time: that you aren't unique," Ryoma said. "And I've been saying things to prove that you are. You've met people and gone place, done things in a way that nobody else has ever done. It doesn't matter if you were a perfect clone of your parents, eventually you would start changing. In the end, no matter whose eyes you're using or whose personality you're hiding behind, you'll become yourself." Ryoma closed his eyes, thinking of everything he had just said. Yes... he loved Sayuki because she was herself, no matter what she or anybody else said.

"Sayuki... You may be everyone, but you're everything to me," he murmured. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he was stabbed with the fear that he had said something to make her cry again, because she was staring intently at the floor, her eyes shaded from his view.

And then she tackled him.

"Wha- Sayu-!" Ryoma stuttered, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks as he tried to pull the girl away from her (despite all of him protesting).

"You- Idiot!" Sayuki wailed, still clinging onto him like a lifeline. Her arms were wrapped around his neck so tightly he was amazed he hadn't choked to death yet. "So. Fucking. Dense! Can't believe you actually used a cheesy line!" She finally backed away, arms still hung loosely around his neck, glaring at him with tears in her eyes but grinning all the same. It was a very interesting facial expression, to say the least.

"... Soo, does that mean I convinced you?" Ryoma said hopefully with a little twisted smile on his face. "And that you like me back?" Sayuki rolled her eyes, an action so familiar and normal after this week of craziness that he almost laughed.

"Ryoma, I always knew you were stupid in anything other than tennis, but _really_?" she asked, exasperated. "Hm, let me think. I helped you out in a tournament that you missed because of your own idiocy-"

"-I'm an idiot, we get it."

"-and when I didn't even know you," Sayuki continued, pretending he hadn't interrupted. "So there couldn't have been _any_ admiration there or anything."

"I can taste the sarcasm from here," Ryoma replied dryly. Sayuki grinned.

"But yeah, I guess you could say I love you," she answered. "... Wait, or is it I guess I could say I love you? Huh..."

"Sayuki, stop confusing yourself," Ryoma said playfully, mussing her hair. She pouted, punching him playfully.

"Why didn't you tell me though?" Ryoma asked, rubbing his arm. That punch had actually hurt...

"Well, you're a dense idiot, for one, I thought we established that quite nicely," Sayuki said cheerfully. "So I figured that since you're so stupid, you wouldn't have realized your feelings yet so if I said anything you would probably say something idiotic and then later feel really guilty about it, so I waited for you to say something first. I didn't know that you'd take until _now_ though," she mumbled.

"Sorry I'm an idiot," he answered, patting her on the head. "I didn't know that you promised them though. I figured that they hadn't asked yet because they obviously still like you." Sayuki gave him a pained smile.

"I've never liked them in that way though," Sayuki said sadly. "They've always been like brothers to me. Kaze thinks of me as a sister, but Daichi still likes me and I can tell that Suigo's somewhere in the middle."

"They're not touching you," Ryoma scowled, hugging her closer protectively. Sayuki laughed, but didn't back away. They stood like that for a while, the silence enveloping them, but it wasn't awkward. It was nice to have some peaceful time to think for a while, comprehend everything that they had just talked about, truly appreciating what had just happened.

"... You know what sucks the most about us going out together though?" Sayuki said after a moment of silence. "It means that Kuroki and everyone else was right."

"Then maybe we'll be right and she'll start going out with Captain Tezuka," Ryoma chuckled. Sayuki smiled, and he felt, rather than saw, it against his neck.

"... Neh, Ryoma... Could I have a kiss?"

They pulled apart and Ryoma was grinning at her.

"I seriously thought you'd never ask."

* * *

**Friday (how many days left? who really cares anymore?)**

Sayuki and Ryoma had agreed to keep the fact that they had started going out as of yesterday a secret. They wanted to see the peoples' reactions...

Their classmates were the first to find out, Suigo, Daichi, and Kaze in particular.

They had been walking to school as normal. Kaze took one look at them (and they hadn't even been doing anything, they had been watching Kuroki and Tezuka bicker) and told them, "Congrats," before walking away.

"He's always been a perceptive bastard," Sayuki smirked.

In class, Suigo and Daichi had seen how cheerful Sayuki had appeared and immediately guessed correctly what had happened. Their responses had been less shocked than Sayuki and Ryoma had imagined.

"Make her cry, I'll be the one to kill you," Daichi had said simply. "She still owes us our second chances, so if there's any sign of conflict..." He smirked dangerously and let the threat hang in the air as he walked away.

"Aw, dammit," Suigo whined, kicking a desk dejectedly as he glared at the couple. "I knew this would happen! I KNEW IT!" After he had vented out his anger ("I KNEW IT! I SO KNEW IT!") his glare had suddenly changed into a cheerful smile as he told them congratulations and skipped away after Daichi.

Ryoma's fangirls had found out next, and to no one's surprise, really, it turns out that Sayuki had had a secret fanclub too. The people walking outside of the school ground sweat dropping as they saw the buildings come crashing down with furious shrieks and shouts of denial coming from inside the school.

Seigaku would never be the same again after the rampages of furious fans.

Sakuno watched them sadly as they walked off to lunch with Kuroki and Tezuka and Momo up on the rooftop. Sayuki had told her first thing, knowing that her friend would only be more broken hearted later. Sakuno was happy for her friend but... She bit her lip to force back the tears, squeaking with shock when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

"I know how you feel," Daichi murmured, an odd lopsided, forced smile on his face as he stared after Sayuki. "My heart died today too." Sakuno nodded silently. They needed no words... They were companions in heart break, both knowing each other's pain, and they understood each other and were friends because of it.

Though they told Kuroki and Tezuka during lunch, Momo had been in the bathroom so he didn't know until after school. Kuroki had only smirked at them and burst out into a round of "I TOLD YOU SO!" and she wouldn't shut up until Momo had come back. Tezuka had only nodded at them, the smallest of smiles on his face as he congratulated them.

Momo's reaction, though, was off the charts. It was, to use Sayuki's words, "abso-freaking-lutely priceless."

"Echizen, do you have a girlfriend yet?" Momo asked half-heartedly. Before Ryoma could say anything, he answered for him, "Let me guess: no."

"Yes, actually," Ryoma said nonchalantly. "She's right there, waiting outside the courts."

"That's what I-" Momo began, but then he froze when the words processed through his brain. Ryoma had walked ahead, smirked at Sayuki, who returned it with a mischievous grin, and he threw an arm over her shoulders as they walked off to the courts.

"... JESUS CHRIST, ECHIZEN, ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

Ryoma and Sayuki looked over their their shoulders, stuck out their tongues childishly at Momo, then turned to continue walking. Ryoma saw Momo's furious face from the corner of his eye and he snickered, pecking Sayuki on the cheek.

Momo's anger ebbed away and a smirk spread over his face.

"It's about time... Cocky little-" He was interrupted by Horio's loud freaking voice.

"ECHIZEN, YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH SAIKI!"

**End**

Sayuki: ... Wait, what the fuck? We end with freaking HORIO? He appeared, like, once in this thing! WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST OF THE STORY!

Ryoma: Kuroki and Tezuka never got together in the end...

Kai: :3 No way I'm letting them get out of this one... This is just the end of Sayuki's little arc revolving around her eyes and shit. The story's gonna keep going, but it'll just have more of Kuro and Tezu and less of you guys.

Sayuki: Hm... I guess that would work. ... wait, so _do _they get together in the end?

Kai: ... no moar spoilahz.

Ryoma: At least tell us the name of the next one...

Kai: Opposites Don't Love, shortened as ODL.

Sayuki: ... Huh, I guess they _don't_ end up together then... :C Unfair.

Kai: ... **evil smirk** You'll see...

* * *

_Before you run me over: YES, OPPOSITES DON'T LOVE WILL BE A SEMI-SEQUEL/CONTINUATION OF FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN. I've actually already started it. Like mentioned above, it focuses a little bit more on Kuroki and Tezuka, but Ryoma and Sayuki are still just as important. Because of this, the chapters are going to be longer. So even though ending FSC feels like a part of me just died, it's not over yet. :3  
_

_Sorry for the lack of warning on my part, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I guess I succeeded?_

_On a separate note, I know that the mystery of Sayuki's eyes has not been solved yet, nor has it ended. The end of FSC merely marks the end of Sayuki's insecurities and the dense idiot Ryoma FINALLY realizing his feelings. :3 The secret behind Sayuki's mysterious eyes will be revealed in the second "arc." Hint: can anyone say MOAR SUIGO PL0X?  
_

_Anyways, I promised a giant shoutout/reply thing at the end of this chapter, so here it is._

_Sayonara and Sky-chan: Can I shower cookies upon you two like no tomorrow? There are no words other than THANK YOU for all your support. :D You guys made my days so many times, I can't even begin to THINK. Hopefully ODL will be three times as awesome so I can give more cookies to you guys for even more support.  
_

_VanillaCream_: _Ah...back in chapter 24 with the crazy costume makers and lack of drama. We all love those awesome times. :D I would've replied to your review a long time ago, but since anonymous reviews can't be responded to... I hope you enjoyed FSC and, if you read it, love ODL just as much!_

_ixheartxrecx75: 25 chapters in one day? That's... crazy. I like it. :D Thank you so much for your review and your opinion on DaichixSakuno. I have taken your advice to heart and changed how I would've portrayed them. You can be proud and say you influenced the outcome of FSC and ODL._

_elsey951: You hear some people complaining about such simple reviews that state things like UPDATE SOON PLEASE but I find that I actually like these comments. It helps spur me on and reminds me that there are people out there that are waiting (im)patiently for my work. So, thank you._

_Chao. BloodyRose: Not only do you have one of the most epic names ever, you have written one of the awesomest reviews. Thank Ryuu's English teacher for the first appearance of Kuroki's dreaded English homework. From what she tells me, that is actually what her English teacher once gave her for homework. And as for the Ice cube... Fitting, non? I LOVE YOU TOO. Less than three, less than three._

_Yuzuru Renge: Criticism=highly welcome. Don't worry about it, friend. :D It's reviews and details like those that help me discover my mistakes and write better. But just one tidbit: if you read Ryuu and my profile, you'll see that in my corner, I said that I'm aware that I write with Mary Sues. I am aware of this, but thanks for pointing it out anyways. :3_

_Well. Flip Side of the Coin is over. But has it ended? Hell no. The sequel comes with more Kuroki, more Tezuka, and more RyomaxSayuki than ever before! Gee, that sounded cheesy._

_Side note and slight spoiler: Kuroki's parents appear. :D_

_Chapter one of Opposites Don't Love should be up in a few weeks! Under the same genre, but with Tezuka as the character this time. Ryoma and Sayuki are still in it, don't worry. :3_

_I now end this huge author's note with one last word:_

_Thanks for all your support, and I hope you look forward to Opposites Don't Love as much as I do!_

_-Air Beast_

_(KAI)  
_


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